


Finding Home Amongst the Infinite

by DontDoHeroinKids



Series: Amongst the Lights of Foreign Skies (Owl House Stories) [2]
Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game), The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fantasy, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:27:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 59,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29470194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DontDoHeroinKids/pseuds/DontDoHeroinKids
Summary: Luz Noceda has spent years stumbling across the multitudes of realities, desperately searching for a way to return to her abandoned home with little success.Her headway towards shattering the barriers that keep her trapped finds Luz deposited in a foreign, ethereal world where magic runs through its populace with abandon, and ancient artifacts of power are handled loosely - the Boiling Isles.It's the closest she's ever been to reaching her mother, and a good place to find answers and allies on her journey.
Relationships: Amity Blight & Lilith Clawthorne, Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Camila Noceda & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Luz Noceda
Series: Amongst the Lights of Foreign Skies (Owl House Stories) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2164650
Comments: 78
Kudos: 134





	1. Chapter 1

“A _hem_.”

The sound of a throat cleared roughly in agitation cut through the hustle and bustle of the midmorning market, making the prospective customer cringe beneath the weight of the merchant’s unimpressed stare as she rooted through numerous pockets.

_Come on, where did I stash my crowns!? Are these – no, that’s the bag of royals I picked up at that bizarre fairytale country…_

Not for the first time did she curse her own shoddy packing procedures.

_Not that pocket, or that bag, it must be – there they are!_

The girl bounced back up from her sagging pack, a fistful of pressed golden coins held before her stiffly with a forced smile.

“Ha, sorry about that, I was in a rush this morning and I had to make sure I had everything ready to go, and you – you know how it is, right? Heh heh…”

The baker’s stare remained bemused, even as he wordlessly scraped the money from her palm and shoved the proffered bundle of gently steaming pastries forwards across the aged counter.

  
The fresh provisions were eagerly scooped off the table, embarrassment forgotten at the promise of sustenance as the sheepish customer made to leave, throwing out a cheery “Thank you!” while she moved away.

The meat bun warmed her fingertips against the frosty air of early spring, wisps of vapor flowing skyward as she took a generous bite of her snack. A little moan escaped at the explosion of flavor, the perfectly heated meal tearing apart with delectable ease as the traveler wove through the crowded marketplace.

She loved little hubs like this – slices of the local cultures, condensed into an energetic and easygoing sprawl of stands displaying all manner of goods. The center of commerce stood free of the dominant shadows from the countless skyscraping towers, an uneven breakaway where structures stayed closer to ground level amongst the titans of the world’s greatest metropolis. The flow of fresh air that sprung free from the monolithic buildings brought with it the scents and sounds of earnest, hardworking people hawking numerous enticing foodstuffs, and if she weren’t so busy it would be the perfect place to while away the day.

The traveler mentally combed over her equipment satchel as she chewed through her midday meal at an efficient pace, ducking past all sorts of milling folk in the square. Her impromptu scavenger hunt for her supply of the local currency had let her check that everything was in its proper place for her departure, in spite of her own shortcomings with storage and item management.

The flow of urban citizens tapered out into a more balanced trickle as her feet took her away from the bustling bazaar, and back into the sprawl of the city. Enormous towers of worn sandstone rose up around her like a swelling wave, growing taller and taller as she moved further from the district market and towards more… convenient spaces.

She had finished her meal on the go by the time a proper opportunity presented itself. The wanderer tossed the greasy cheesecloth from her meal into a public bin, even as she surreptitiously scanned the environment to see if she was actually entering a more secluded block. The ever-present tide of traveling citizenry had thinned once again, leaving breaks and holes in the city’s thoroughfares – just what was needed.

As any prying eyes wandered in separate directions, she ducked into a nearby alleyway, splitting off into winding corridors that pointed towards the dense ground-level interior of an inhabited skyscraper cluster. The back roads were darker and less well-kept, with a poor tendency towards retaining the seedier elements of the population dependent upon which district one found themselves in. Luckily, the stretch of walkways she hiked were simply cold and shaded, without an overwhelming criminal presence for this city segment.

She came to a stop in a recessed alcove, swinging her formidable pack off one shoulder and down to ground level for a final inspection. Tugging on straps, flipping buckles, counting out supplies – there was no way to tell when she would be able to return to the expansive mega-city in the future, just like every other alien place she visited, so packing light and mobile was always a necessity. Her bo staff clacked heartily against the dirty concrete as that, too, received a quick critical eye alongside the remainder of her gear.

Well, everything seemed in order… ‘no time like the present,’ as they liked to say.

It was a shame – she was really starting to like Ravnica. But the city wasn’t where she was meant to be.

Securing her pack once more, staff strapped firmly to its side, the traveler took a deep breath, senses reaching out as the primordial currents of aether stirred around her. The invisible reflex, so much like a mental muscle, flexed under her concentration as she took slow, deliberate steps forward.

One, two, three – and then she was fading up and away, pressing against unknowable depths of the space between worlds that peeled apart before her focused will. The veil between worlds tore apart smoothly beneath and above and through the traveler as she departed the plane of reality she had once occupied.

The nameless, mindless pressure of the Blind Eternities ebbed and flowed around her, tugging mercilessly against her corporeal form even as she pushed on and through the metaphysical currents. There was no set path she took between the folds of space and time, only a singular goal in mind that led her cutting through cresting waves of nonexistence.

_Home. Home. My home, and family, and world – I need to go home._

After what seemed an eternity condensed into a stretch of minutes, she felt the anticipated resistance as her soul reached out for the world that birthed her. The age-old ember of weary anger swelled in her breast as the invisible weight of some eldritch influence pressed her down and away from her ultimate goal, just as it had last time, and the time before that. It was like fighting a hurricane with your eyes closed, and your senses dulled, struggling against gale force winds that sought to tear you away from the embrace of the earth and hurl you into the uncaring sky.

But the traveler had felt this thing’s grasp time and time again, and she had come prepared this time.

_“When you’re trying to call something up like this, it’s easiest if you get angry. Think about how you’ve been wronged by this thing, how it represents everything used to keep you down.”_

_The older teen spoke with the ease of garnered experience, stretching his lanky limbs as he prepared a demonstration for his enraptured younger charge._

_“You can power it up even better if you twist some green and red mana together for it. Spells that use up more energy like that are harder to control and gather up, but they hit twice as hard.”_

_His wrist flicked out in a harsh gesture at the cracked pillar before them, condensed mana spilling from his fingers like a whip as it shattered the column’s core._

_“Ha ha! See how easy it is break down a bastard’s temples when you put your mind to it? You can even do this kind of thing with magical stuff, like enchanted armor.”_

The flaring anger that burned in the wanderer’s chest was the fuel for her success. She stoked it, her mind furiously grinding through the long nights of isolation and prickling fear as she stumbled across unfamiliar lands, one after the other. How she yearned to feel her mother’s fingers card through her curling hair once more, hear the love in her voice as she bustles around the house, a wafting scent of roasting meals creeping across the kitchen.

Tendrils of crimson and emerald swelled up from the abyss, wrapping around her limbs like living armor as her frustration and determination tugged at her connections to soaring mountains and verdant forests once visited. She kept pulling on her bonds to those lands, forcing more and more magic into the spell eclipsing her form. She was unharmed by the crackling corona, but the volatile energy was tearing away at the crushing pressure trying to shunt her away from her beloved homeland, ripping through its influence like a blade.

Had she not felt the ripping force that kept her from returning from whence she came so many times, it might have swept her away once more, spitting her out on another strange world with exotic lands and peoples. But the weeks turned into months and years of experience had molded her against its reach – and now, with her furious spellcraft splitting its blind malice, she was growing ever closer than before.

Hope soared through her, a grin sprouting against her will on her lips – she was doing it. She was really, finally going to go -!

The fleeting moment of elation was dashed by the doubling of the current’s strength, pushing panic into her mind as the alien force fought to snuff out her burning enchantment. No, no no no, she was so _close_ –

In a moment of stricken weakness, she poured herself into the failing enchantment. It buckled and flared under the force of her desperation, blasting out into the darkness and pushing it back for one glorious moment, and she could feel it – the layers of resistance peeling away, her traveling body pushing past this first shell into another spread of the tidal wave, the soul-lights of a living world spreading across her view –

And then, without warning, the traveler was given a final titanic push out and away by her nemesis, crying into the abyss as she was pressed back into the reaches of normal space and time once more.

  
There was a moment of nauseous vertigo as she was shunted back into realspace in midair, terror filling her as she plummeted to the earth - blessedly a few meters below. She slammed into the soil with a graceless thump, air driven from her lungs as once-secure items were sent rolling and bouncing away by the collision.

It took a moment for her to recover, wheezing weakly as she clutched her sore ribs in one hand. That wasn’t the first time she’d landed on a new world like that – literally – but it wasn’t anymore pleasant. And worst of all, the taste in the air, the soaring evening of summertime skies above – this place wasn’t _home._

She tried to fight back the tears springing to her eyes as she gathered up her scattered pack, a growing sob of despair held back by force of will as she despondently crammed her survival equipment back into its proper place.

It just – it wasn’t _fair_. She was so close she could taste it, but… it didn’t matter.

Still adrift. Still trapped beyond the reach of her only loved ones.

The sob slipped out before she could catch it, and that really set her off.

“ _Dios maldita sea todo!_ I w-was so close that time!”

The traveler dropped to the ground with a harsh thump, crushing her backpack against her chest as she muffled her cries amongst the foreboding, otherworldly forest that surrounded the clearing.

  
Some time passed before she could stifle her tears, sniffling aggressively as the despair was pressed back down into the darkest corners of her mind with a flare of raging determination. It was just one setback on a whole heap of others, that was nothing new. It was time to get ahold of herself and _move forward_.

Just like every time before – and every time that was sure to follow.

Her self-pity party had lasted long enough to see the local sun cross the sky from its zenith, and begin dipping towards the horizon beyond the silhouette of a sprawling forest. Soft evening light streamed down through swirling, gnarled woods as she tromped out and away from her landing site, blindly following the faint echoes of lapping tides and squalling birds in the purpling dusk.

When the stretching limbs of the ancient trees broke before her, it was to reveal a short stretch of lush soil that ended abruptly at a rocky outcropping, the slapping of waves well beneath her vantage point. Sea birds whirled overhead, cawing loudly in their flocks as they swooped over the ledge in search of sustenance.

She couldn’t help the budding sense of wonder flowing through her as the cliffside dipped low at her approach. Some things never changed, and the gorgeous expanses of wildly varying worlds always left her aglow at the majesty of it all.

And as she clambered onto a spiking stretch of boulder, her gasp caught in her throat at the magnificent view below.

Luz Noceda had found her sight set upon the arcane expanse of the fabled Boiling Isles.

It wasn’t a skywards mountaintop jutting up below and around her – she was perched upon a gigantic, calcified _leg bone_.

Miles ahead of her sat the arches of a fallen giant, so grand in scale it boggled her mind. Fleshless ribs clawed at the distant sky, reaching like broken teeth at heights rivalling the mammoth skyscrapers of the planetwide city dominating the far-flung world of Ravnica. The limbs of the felled titan sprouted from the tempestuous seas, verdant autumnal colors swelling in uneven clumps of growth as nature sought to reclaim the ancient remains of a once great beast. A monolithic skull – almost so large and distant that it fought the curve of the horizon from her perspective – leered out emptily at its own frozen form.

Not only was the natural world sprouting like weeds from its tremendous carcass – but cities, as well. Luz could spot the telltale mixture of wood and stonework comprising artificial construction in varied locales, their uneven structures a poor competition for the scale of their surroundings.

That feeling of burning curiosity completely overshadowed the remnants of her frustration. This world was – was like nothing she had ever seen before.

The exotic floating islands and gravity-defying mounds of handcrafted hedrons that stretched across the jungles of Zendikar had been her first experience with alien planes, so far from home. But even the unknowable, arcane landmarks of a fierce deathworld were incomparable to what she was seeing now.

She fell backwards onto her rump in shock, mouth hanging open as she reveled in the spectacle of this strange new land. The endless expanses of the sapphire seas stretched out and away from the titanic skeleton, lapping at the bones with insistent waves and whorls.

It took only a moment of deliberation before her shaking hands reached into her pack.

Once upon a time, a young girl had dreamt of awing the world with her lovingly made artistry. The sketches and likenesses of a thousand mundane objects brought to life by her will, a skill she always wielded proudly for her beloved _mami_.

Now her books were filled with fantastical drawings that even Luz could never have conjured up as a child. Foreign landscapes and alien peoples crowded her sketches as she sought to record every step of the way home, the roughly bound notebook preserved against the ravages of a planeswalker’s lifestyle by thorough enchantment work.

It was hard to cram the true awe-inspiring scale of the vanquished titan into a single yellowed page, but Luz was never one to back down from an artistic challenge. She fought against the fading light of day to capture as much detail as possible, and when the cusp of her viable time for lighting began slipping away, she tossed a glowing orb of ethereal fire into the air with a moment’s thought. Even then, the sun had crawled too far beyond the end of the world for her to meaningfully continue, though she remained satisfied with what she had managed to encapsulate thus far.

By the time the day had fully passed, Luz was setting up a temporary camp beneath a breathtaking spillage of stars. Distant galaxies and nebulae twinkled in the nighttime skyline, a canvas of starlight aiding her efforts to establish a solid little campfire to bed beside for the evening. She spent the time between flipping the sizzling portions of her provisions staring up at the atmosphere with wonder, the beauty of the summer night enrapturing her mind.

The worlds she had seen, the planes she’d had to flee from – they hadn’t been like this. Nightmares still nipped at her heels of her panicked flight from Innistrad, the malicious swamps of that shadowed world hunting her unprepared form while abominations stalked the eternal gloom. But this place, it was… something else. Something really amazing, even for all the dangers she assumed would inhabit the framework of the fallen giant.

A quick jab of her boot sent green mana flowing into the soil, sundering the packed dirt into something softer for her sleeping bag to lay atop for her rest. A few quick gestures had some light wards erected around the camp perimeter to warn her of approaching individuals, while a bit of more mundane fire management saw that her roasting pit would keep her warm for some time.

Luz Noceda spent her first night on the Boiling Isles curled up within her sleeping bag, gazing with unbridled interest into unfamiliar constellations before sleep finally claimed her.

She would begin her descent towards civilization – and answers – the following day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't really related to my previous story, "A Call Today, a World Away," but it was an idea rattling around for a bit that I figured I'd throw out and see what people thought. It's intended to be a bit slower and longer than a simple oneshot, but any update schedule will be sporadic at best on account of having a senior thesis to contend with. However, I hope to further explore some things with this story and the Owl House characters so we'll see where things end up.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Compared to the market Luz had purchased breakfast from the day before, the bazaar of this strange town she found herself in was… something else.

Ravnica’s people mirrored their environment in certain ways, being generally organized and conscientious of their occupation amongst the orderly rows of skyscrapers that composed their planetwide metropolis. There were always outliers - both in structures and persons, like the roaming Gruul clans - but nothing felt overly jarring or out of place.

If Luz had to describe the works of the civil planner who had laid out the streets and market before her, she probably would have used words along the lines of “criminally insane” or “really unfit for this job.”

The roadways of Bonesborough were total chaos, through and through. Buildings of varying heights and make sprouted from the streets as organically as the gigantic bones that appeared sporadically throughout the city limits. It all came across as very precariously stacked in growing layers, with its people worming their way through every winding thoroughfare.

And the people – Luz had never seen so much variation in one place, before. Ravnica was filled with every sort imaginable, from humanoids to animalistic beast races, but Bonesborough was _bursting_ with diversity. Almost no two individuals looked quite the same, running the gamut from fairly human-esque to enormous, lumbering behemoths with alien features.

It was a crazed mess, and she was loving exploring it.

Her recent failure to press on through that damnable barrier between herself and Earth still stung harshly, but the dull edge of defeat was pressed out of Luz’s mind by everything she was seeing and learning. The scope of a new world was always staggering for the young planeswalker, and if she were honest with herself, it was a tad intimidating.

Each plane she visited had potentially eons of history and culture to parse through – the lives of literally uncountable masses, spread throughout the multiverse with little to no knowledge of one another. It was mind boggling – but so, so _interesting._

Of course, there were always downsides with this sort of thing. Cultural differences were rife when you could be anywhere in reality, at any time, amongst any imaginable kind of people. Some civilizations were so alien and incompatible with Luz’s worldviews that her only real option was avoidance for her own safety.

And then there were more mundane problems, like not having any money when you were starving from a long hike down a mountainside formed from a gigantic leg bone.

Luz could only give a put-upon sigh as her stomach rumbled for the umpteenth time, eyes roaming from beneath her violet cloak in search of something akin to a pawn shop. The nonsensical sprawl of colorful stands and tents flashed by, advertising all manner of worldly goods, but she needed a proper trader to haggle with. Her money may be unusable around here, but gold was gold, and sometimes the allure of rare foreign currency and goods was enough to keep her afloat financially, at least until something more stable reared its head.

That was the worst part about her ability to walk between worlds – just like back home, you need a decent job to pay the bills if you’re going globetrotting.

Her twirled braid of hair was absentmindedly jammed back within her cloak hood as she trundled along, taking in the sights and hoping for a break in her cosmically poor luck. If pressed on the issue, Luz might admit that her efforts to pack lightly were partially on account of how misfortune dogged her heels seemingly everywhere.

There wasn’t a lot of point in collecting heartfelt mementos when you had nowhere to hold them, when you stood to potentially lose your precious belongings in a heartbeat to flight.

In spite of the dull pang of hunger tugging at her gut and the dark cloud over her soul, Luz was determined to make the best of her situation. Every defeat on the path home was a crushing blow to her hopes and confidence but it was not a new sensation. She had felt the well of grasping despair claw up her throat countless times, her every struggle through that unknowable obstacle sending her careening away to new and unfamiliar places.

However, to say that the journey was completely undesirable would be a falsehood. Even in the wake of heartbreak and homelessness, Luz’s travels had taken her far and wide to some of the most astounding sights she had ever encountered. Self-reliance and technical competence were imperative to travelling across dangerous planes, and it was little time at all before the harsh realities of a lonely existence far out of her comfort zone had pushed Luz into an environment in which she had learned to thrive.

She still recalled those first nights after her guttering spark flung her far from Earth into the wider expanse of worlds. The sweltering, hungry days ducking along cliffsides and through patches of inhospitable jungle, only to stumble blindly into an alien encampment and collapse at the shocked feet of what would become her first true friends.

The nomadic Kor of Zendikar were as fae and exotic as a younger Luz would have anticipated from her hours of browsing beloved selections of fantasy. Whip-lean and stark white, moving like predators through the undergrowth and deftly across mountain passes with milky eyes and slender pointed ears.

They had pitied the lost human youngling, striving to teach her the skills necessary to survive their unforgiving world even as they listened to and accepted, uncomprehendingly, the outlandish tales babbled at them about an alien world of grand cities and all-encompassing civilization. It was in the crucible of the jungles that Luz spent weeks, and then months, learning how to survive in the wilds – and beyond that, how to harness the call of the invisible swells that swirled around every facet of the living, breathing world: an undercurrent of untamed magics.

She had never felt a plane pluck so strongly at her senses since Zendikar, roaring rivers and soaring skyways and mobile landscapes so vibrantly alive in a way indescribable to those who had never experienced it through the eyes of a mage. The Kor had come the closest, even their magicless brethren able to follow the ebb and flow of such a lively world. Yet here, on this string of islands formed from the desiccated corpse of a god long passed, Luz was reminded of the terrifying pull of the Roil as it infused the eldritch tides of Zendikar’s mana flues.

The crackling hum of harnessed magic echoed through nearly every object and being that she passed in the streets, wafting harmlessly into the air like heat from the very ground. The colors Luz had come to associate with various forms of mana were muted, a diffusion of endless layers of enchantment and paracausal forces at work stripping away identity and intent, leaving behind only the morass of mastered potential within the town’s construction.

In a way, it comforted her. Breathing in the magically infused breeze, the wispy tendrils of formless blue mana drifting in on the wind from the island itself, Luz’s mind felt sharpened by her immersion in such an arcane place. A world so steeped in magic always held significant promise for greater power and lessons, both of which could be bent towards her ultimate goal of returning to Earth once more.

With such a high concentration of natural blue magicka, it would be a good place to sharpen her skills in that particular field as well. The straightforward strengths of red and green manas had always called the strongest to her passionate soul, but any mage worth their salt would strive to connect with as much magic as was feasible.

…And then she’d have to work on being able to cast a single white spell beyond making basic orbs of light, and black mana – the thought had her shuddering.

Projects for another day.

Her slow meandering had brought her to a break in the expansive marketplace, the center of the crowded pathway dominated by a large tent reminiscent of a major circus attraction, colorful people and stands ringing it in a rowdy enclosure. Luz’s eyes skittered across the varied shop signs, following her instincts for sniffing out points of interest as she gave the square a considering walkaround. The voices of the swelling crowd blended into a wave of noise, washing over her like the passing crests of natural mana in the air, suffusing her senses and seeking to overwhelm her –

“Fresh curios and wonders, people, straight from another world entirely!”

The shrill tone of one crier caught her ear, pushing through the throng of other shouts and murmuring conversation. Luz homed in on the scratchy tone, flowing through the stream of eager customers to seek out the screaming saleswoman.

“Step right up, yes you – right there! I know you’re looking for the kind of quality goods I’m giving away!”

When Luz reached the stall from which the cries originated, her eyes widened as she stumbled straight into what seemed a ghost.

The woman was striking in appearance, a sleeveless crimson dress her primary garb that draped over milk white flesh. Knife-like ears sprouted from an untamable mane of silvery hair, leaving the edges of her appearance jagged and wild, accompanied by the golden fang drooping over her lip and bright golden eyes. A bizarre coincidence, that Luz’s mind had wandered to her friends amongst the pale nomadic clans of Zendikar just to run right into their otherworldly doppelganger.

What really sent her gut into a messy flip, however, was the hawker’s table spread, bursting from within her overcrowded tent.

The wares were little more than discarded junk – but they were items Luz _recognized._ Battered and cracked electronics, rusting utensils and power tools, fragments of miscellaneous objects likely tossed in the garbage with nary a thought – from _Earth._

Luz had never encountered another world that reached the heights of technological prowess she had known as common back home. With such relatively abundant access to magics, and the influence of powerful supernatural beings, most planes struggled to approach an industrial age like that which had once ravaged the cities and plains of Earth, paving the way for the advanced world she once knew. It was astoundingly unlikely that such detritus could have come from anywhere else.

She stumbled towards the table in a daze, her approach unseen by the saleswoman as she heckled other passing visitors for their patronage. It seemed that despite the otherworldly nature of the goods she sold, owning useless old garbage from the ‘human realm’ as it was touted (Earth! Her _home_ , the first sign she’d found in years) simply fell outside of their interests. Her heart was in her throat as Luz stepped up to the rickety stall, finally catching the attention of the woman who reminded her of the closest thing she’d ever found to home amongst the stars.

“Hey there, kid!” The strange woman gave her an exaggerated grin bordering on sleazy, draping herself over the rough tablecloth as she took in Luz’s appearance. “Looking to buy some amazing wares from a different dimension? I’ve got plenty of choices for an enterprising young witch like yourself.”

The linguistic oddity struck at Luz’s perception, but she was still too shellshocked by the encounter to fully process the saleswoman’s words.

“I, uh, actually I – was wondering where you found all of this, um, stuff. I – I recognize some of it but it’s been a… a long time.”

She tried to hide her cringe at her own cracking tone, but the awkward flinch as her voice snapped from rising anxiety was clearly visible. The stall owner reared back slightly, the intensity of her grin dimming a bit as she swept a critical gaze over Luz’s becloaked form.

“Sorry girly,” She drawled slowly, her expression growing more guarded, “But that’s a trade secret. What’s it matter to you, anyway? Think I stole it off some other shlub?”

Luz’s panic swelled as she quickly swiped her hands through the air apologetically, trying to stammer out a reassuring response.

“Ha ha, sorry. I meant that I – I’ve seen your kind of… treasures around, you know? That other people bought before? And I was just curious how somebody found so much ju- err, _salvage_ from the – ‘human realm.’”

Her heart sank low as the woman pulled back, now in offense as opposed to suspicion, the fake grin giving way to an aggravated grimace at Luz’s insincere blather.

“Nope. Can’t help you there.” The response was curt, bordering on impolite as the woman stared down her narrow nose at the deflating teenager. “Now, if there wasn’t anything else, I’ve got plenty of other folk to wrangle in for a sale.”

Her frustration was welling up again, the coals of her desperate rage the previous day barely turned over before being fanned back to life by this stubborn old woman. Luz’s jaw tightened against her will, even as she lowered her gaze from the intense scrutiny of the bristling merchant.

“I just – okay, fine. Do you do trades?” She tried not to let any irritation seep into her voice.

“Depends.” Came the wary response. “What are you looking for on the table, and whaddya got on you?”

“Not the junk. For money.”

The stall owner seemed simultaneously intrigued at the offer, and bemused at her attempt to pawn something off on a working salesperson.

The young planeswalker’s hands deftly freed her coin satchel from its home at her hip, flipping the squared-off pouch open as she plunked the jingling purse down onto the counter.

“Gold coins from overseas – they’re an old family heirloom.” The well-worn lie spilled from her lips easily, the familiarity of the fib helping to ground her nerves. “I don’t know how much gold is actually in them, but I need the money and they’re pretty rare around here.”

The woman’s slim eyebrows rose towards her hairline as she took in the clinking sack of pieces before her.

“Foreign gold, huh? Don’t think I’ve ever seen that kind of stuff around here…” A slim hand darted into the bag, fishing a single coin minted in a distant land from the pile. As Luz expected, the merchant bit firmly onto the disc, testing its durability – but the flicker of a spell cast with a wave of her fingers was a surprise. A quick turn of the wrist, and a glowing ring leapt from her pale hand towards the coin, passing through it harmlessly and eliciting a quiet grunt of surprise from the woman.

“Hrmm…” A considering hum purred from her throat. Luz held her breath, hoping that she’d receive an easy path to obtaining some actually viable currency for these strange isles. “Alrighty kid, here’s what I’m willing to do. This stuff could be pricey, could be total bunk. It’s a risk taking it off you without a buyer lined up but I’ll cut you a deal. No way to tell how much is real gold, or what it can get you, but they _seem_ pretty close to snails – so, I’ll give a coin for a coin, as many as you wanna dump on me. Within reason.”

That was… both more and less than Luz had been hoping for. Some merchants on other planes leapt at the opportunity for rare and collectible coinage, while others made use of the precious metal for varying alchemical and magical reasons. But considering the rocky start to their conversation, and the likelihood she would receive a similar exchange rate from more specialized merchants with no demand…

“I’m willing to take that deal.” Luz scooped the satchel off the table, a hesitant smile breaking through her prior gloom. “How does, eh… two-hundred coins sound? Would that keep me fed for a while?”

The bright-eyed merchant gave her an odd, considering look and it occurred to Luz a moment later that she should realistically have a better grasp on local economics than that, considering her intended impression of a townsperson looking to turn over some old family relics. She cursed herself internally at the amateurish mistake, but carefully maintained her guileless expression before the stall owner decided to drop her for being so damnably suspicious.

“Yeah.” The woman’s unnerving gaze never left her face, and she could feel beads of sweat crawl down her back at the scrutiny. “Yeah, you’ll be set for a while with that much if you don’t play it fast and easy on the meals.”

She stepped back from the counter, keeping Luz in her sightline a moment longer.

“Lemme go grab the cash from the back, and we’ll seal this little exchange up.”

“Sounds good!” Why did she follow that statement with two thumbs up? This lady was going to call the guards on her any moment, probably for thinking she was deranged. “I’ll… be right here!”

The woman swept back into the tent after another tense moment, leaving Luz to wheeze out a sigh of relief at the pause in their awkward interaction. However, with the owner out of sight for the moment, she couldn’t help dragging her attention back towards the original items of interest.

The goods for sale at this stall looked freshly unearthed from a crowded landfill. Stained with rust and salt, cracked and dented in awkward places, the glass and metal of electronics marred by the passage of time. Most looked well and truly defunct, but their very presence had Luz’s pulse picking up.

How, in the entire expanse of the multiverse, had all of these items come to rest on this table? They were scrap, salvaged from dumping grounds, but very far from home. If this woman was selling this stuff in such large amounts, and regularly, then that meant consistent access to Earth through some unknown means. But was it sourced from this plane, so steeped in magic? Or was there some truth clinging to ancient human myths regarding magic and how to make use of it, back home?

Her very existence proved that they weren’t so cut off from the rest of reality as the encompassing barrier preventing her return would suggest. There had been almost no concrete evidence for magic, before her soul had ignited with eldritch energies and sent her hurtling into the unknown.

It was maddening, trying to figure it all out. Luz couldn’t help herself, picking through the trash before her to see if there were any items truly worth preserving while her thoughts raced back and forth. One device stood apart from the junk – a worn plastic calculator, so similar to the cheap one she had once owned for math courses as a child. The casing was faded and the display scratched, but nothing was missing or shattered – just unpowered.

To her surprise (and mild concern), Luz fished a pair of serviceable batteries of the appropriate type from a shallow bowl labelled ‘Human Candy?’ A quick shake determined that they held some charge still, and it took but a moment to pop them into the battered handheld casing. The first press of the power button yielded no response, but a firm slap or two against the palm of her hand saw some success as the device flickered to life.

It was a stupid little thing, but – it made Luz crack another smile. Something from home that wasn’t dead and gone was a treasured rarity. Maybe the merchant would still let her buy it after they finished their business…?

“Alright, I’ve got the cash and – hands _off_ the merchandise!”

The growling merchant swiped the handheld computer from her grasp, giving Luz a fierce glare as the girl tripped out a pathetic excuse once again.

“Sorry, sorry, I just wanted to – fix it up! See if it’ll turn back on and work, you know? I – I’m not a _thief_ , I wasn’t gonna steal anything -”

The woman registered her apology with a blink, glancing down at her prize clutched in hand.

“Get it working? You mean this little doo-dad is supposed to do something for you?”

Luz flashed her a trembling grin, gingerly taking the device back from the unresisting saleslady.

“It’s a calculator. See the little keys here? When you power it up, you can do some basic math with it. Normally kids use it, but it’s good for quick addition on the go.”

She tapped out a simple equation, acutely aware of the glowing eyes tracking her every move as the decrepit electronic coughed up an answer on screen.

“Nice and easy, see?” She made sure to inject some good-natured cheer into her voice, if only to keep herself from getting scalped for perceived theft.

“Huh. Wouldja look at that.” The calculating gaze was back in the merchant’s eye as she gave a silent squint towards Luz, gently taking the calculator back before seeming to arrive at a decision. “I think we got off on the wrong foot there, kiddo.”

A pale hand shot out, open and waiting for a greeting.

“They call me Eda the Owl Lady around here. I run this stand outta the bazaar on off-days, but my big moneymaker is the potions I sell back home.”

This was a surprising turn of events, though Luz certainly appreciated the white flag being offered. Her tanned hand slotted firmly into Eda’s grip, pumping up and down a single time.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Eda. I’m Luz Noceda, new to town.”

A sardonic snort followed her words.

“You don’t say. Well, I did promise you some shiny new bits for your old ones, so let’s get that cash counted out for you.”

The enigmatic merchant circled the table once more, leaving Luz to thumb out the proper quantity of dulled currency at her leisure. Eda watched her count in silence for a few moments, before startling Luz with her inquisitive tone.

“Planning on staying at one of the inns around here? I suggest you avoid the ones right off this block – a lot of ‘em have some nasty beds, and nastier clientele to boot.”

Luz palmed the back of her neck nervously, giving a short laugh even as she continued stacking coins out on the countertop.

“Ah, no, I was just going to – camp nearby. Out in the, uh, woods.”

“In the woods.” There was that judgmental, thoughtful lilt to Eda’s voice once more. “With everything out there that likes to prey on sleepy little witches. In the dark, and away from the guards.”

“Yup. That’s… that’s the one.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Another beat of awkward silence.

“No family to stay with around here?” That question struck as a tad more pointed.

“My mom is… really far out of the way right now. A good few towns over, so it’s – just me.”

“Hmm.” Eda was determined to make her sweat out every question during this exchange, it seemed.

Finally, the agonizing void of small talk was shattered by Luz triumphantly slapping her stacks of pressed coins onto the table.

“There we go. Two-hundred dollars as agreed upon. Snails, please.” A winning smile was important when doing business, she had once been told.

Her eagerness earned her a snort of amusement this time, a wistful little smile twisting Eda the Owl Lady’s lips as she accepted the orderly columns of coin, handing off a rough sack that clanked lightly with her movements.

“Seems like you’re set. Some spending money can go a long way.” The mirth gave way for a concerned frown, the singular fang worrying at her lip as she watched Luz stoop down to deposit her earnings more safely within her pack.

“Thanks, Miss Eda. I didn’t have too much in the way of supplies or cash before, so this’ll help a lot.” Luz beamed at the woman, taking in her furrowed brow as she hoisted the satchel back over one shoulder. She was already scheming how to put this goodwill towards getting some answers about the woman’s wares in the near future. “Well, I better get going – I’m kinda starving and I was hoping to snag something tasty from a stall. Maybe I’ll see you later?”

“…Sure girly. I’ll see you around. Be safe, you hear?”

The merchant received a firm nod in response as Luz turned to leave, adjusting the straps of her equipment one last time as it settled over her indigo travelling cloak. She hadn’t caught notice of any pickpockets, but it was important to double check her belongings.

A short gust of a frustrated sigh sounded from behind as Eda grabbed her shoulder, halting her bag check.

“Wait a sec, kid.”

Luz turned in surprise to behold the older woman pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, a defeated growl bursting out as she was given a serious look.

“Curse my bleeding heart but _damnit_ , you’re going to get yourself eaten in that blasted forest if you try to spend the night there.”

Shock at her words coiled into concern as a distant burst of white movement amongst the crowd distracted Luz, drawing closer to the Owl Lady’s rickety stand from down the cobble road.

“If you promise not to get all weird about it, I’ve got a spare room back at my place where you can stay. Just for a few nights until you get on your feet, you hear? And then we’ll see if -” Eda cut herself off, head jerking around to follow Luz’s gaze as she registered the shifting of the nearby people.

“Oh hellfire,” She spat with a snarl. “It’s the Bonehead’s guards.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently trying out some differences in formatting to account for AO3's text management, apologies for any odd spacing between chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

The rapidly approaching cadre of armed guardsmen spurred Eda the Owl Lady into action, moving her to grasp Luz by the shoulders.

“Looks like we’re gonna have to renegotiate, kid: I don’t wanna be hauled off to the local jail, and you don’t wanna be trying to take a nap in the murder forest.” The easy playfulness of the older woman was erased, a grim seriousness in its stead. “So here’s what we do – _I’ll_ pack my load of crap up, and _you_ think up a way to stop those coppers from catching my keister red-handed. Sound good?”

Luz blinked, stammering, as she shook herself free of the merchant’s grip. She’d barely even registered the offer for housing, and now - “You want me to help you be a _criminal_? I didn’t sign up for that sorta stuff!”

“Tough toodles, sweety.” Eda’s bright eyes were flinty, her gaze as unyielding as her tone. “You don’t have to agree to anything, but if you want a good roof over your head for cheap when boiling rains or a slitherbeast come passing through, I’m gonna need your help.”

Her grim countenance broke for a moment, a sly smirk shaping her lips. “Consider it a down payment on rent. Now get over there and… make a nuisance of yourself!”

As Luz was rudely shoved into away from the table, the Owl Lady retreating into her tent with a frantic sense of hurry, she briefly considered tossing the crude merchant to the guards to do with as they pleased.

The same lady who had put up with her even after her poor introduction… and who knew the source of the eclectic arrangement of human rubbish that she was peddling, along with an offer of room and board.

… Her _mami_ could _never_ find out about this.

Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as she stiffly walked towards the officers, taking a forced meandering path as her eyes darted about, praying for some kind of inspiration to strike.

Stands lined the packed street, piled high with countless goods, numerous customers milling about as they browsed. One stand advertised foolproof crystal balls, another purported to sell genuine salamander hide cloaks and coats, there was a stand with a roaring barbeque tray crackling merrily next to the curb –

Aha.

Luz carefully wandered closer towards the food stand, attempting her best at a casual gait. The flickering flames helped her concentrate on the upswell of red mana she was drawing into her body, the distant trickle of power from another plane’s mountainous ridges filling her palms with crackling promise.

Her time spent amongst the Gruul Clans of Ravnica had exposed her to many of the characters considered ‘unsavory’ by polite standards. Brutish men and women who took up arms against a society they saw as oppressive, tearing grand construction into ragged ruins at the very edges of the plane-wide cityscape. They came in many shapes and sizes, much like the people here: feral human warriors and hulking minotaurs, towering cyclopes or vicious elves – and a number of very eager fire elementals.

Luz’s wrist flicked out as she intentionally tripped into the side of the heated metal brazier, her stumbling taking her down to a knee as the spell snapped into focus. Evoking any form of creature beyond its worldly residence took significant power and concentration, but her will was firm – and her assistant was fairly small - as she dragged one of Ravnica’s native flame hellions into being upon the Boiling Isles.

The giggling fire sprite leapt from the flames at her silent command, scrambling up her back as she cried out in mock surprise. It recognized her as the kind girl who had fed it scraps of wood and cinder around the towering bonfires of the Gruul, easily slipping into a magical bond with Luz as her kindness resonated throughout its childish soul. As with most summoned creatures, it could anticipate her desires with a thought – and so it tumbled down in front of her face, yanking the brim of her violet cloak over her eyes as she gave an exaggerated shout of fright.

Luz bolted up, frantically flailing as she ran past where she had last seen the guards, her elemental cackling and spitting bursts of eye-catching sparks every which way as they fled. Sure enough, the startled shouts of commanding voices followed after her mad dash, separating the pack of shocked marketgoers with their chase.

With the sprite at her command, navigating blindly was no issue. She simply stumbled awkwardly in the same direction that the little spirit tugged on her hood, leading the lion’s share of the guards off of Eda’s scent and into a back alley.

Another telepathic order sent her tiny fiend jumping from its perch atop her head and deeper into the warren of dirty alleys, finally letting her come to a stop to really seal the deal with the police as they came flooding into the alley’s mouth.

“Citizen! Are you alright?” One panting guard asked her, even as his comrades went streaming by, chasing the leaping shadows cast by her summoned companion. “That fire demon had quite the hold of you!”

“Oh, I’m fine sir,” Luz lied boldly to his beaked metal visage. “I don’t know where that thing came from, it just – flew right out of that stand’s fire when I bumped into it! Don’t worry about me, though, those other officers need your help!”

The huffing guard gave her a confident nod, rushing off with club in hand to follow his comrades. Luz released a relieved sigh, slumping against the uneven brickwork of the adjacent house as she remotely slashed her connection to the flow of red mana. Without its source, the spell would fade shortly and send her little assistant back from whence he came – but hopefully not before he kept those guards busy for a while yet.

She ducked back out of the alley, one hand readjusting her disheveled cloak as Luz tilted her head. Now she just had to make her way back to Eda, maybe start wheedling some answers out of her in a nice way –

The collision with somebody walking briskly in the opposite direction shook her from the glee of a successfully executed plan. Luz staggered back a half-step, an apology already forming on her lips as she looked up at the intimidating countenance of the woman she had run into.

“Ah, just the citizen I was hoping to find.”

A cold jade gaze looked down on her impassively, leaving Luz frozen and silent with a sense of slight dread. The mage – and there was no doubt about that, with the metallic crackle of magic humming about her - wore a cloak of brilliant white, accented by the dark green dress and skirts that complimented her smooth deep-blue tresses. An organized line of guardsmen stood at attention behind her, their concealing hoods and curved beak helms a much more impressive sight than the uniforms sported by the other police.

“Were you harmed by that unruly demon my men went running after? You gave us quite the excitement for a moment.” The words remained polite, but Luz felt more than heard the woman’s underlying edge of impatience.

“I’m fine ma’am, thank you for asking.” Don’t show weakness. There was something dangerous about this person. “It came right out of a fire pit in the square, I’m not sure which one. Some of your men are still chasing it down, hopefully they can grab it.”

Time to make a tactical retreat before Luz could say something she might regret. “Well, I better get back to shopping, thanks again for your service and -”

The hand on her shoulder applied no grip, and yet the gesture was much more domineering than when Eda the Owl Lady had done so.

“Just a moment of your time. We were patrolling the area for – miscreants. But seeing as we’ve found a more immediate issue, why don’t you assist us in identifying the perpetrator? I’m certain you could point out which stall was hiding such a dangerous demon.” The sentence was less a suggestion, and more a veiled command.

“Of course.” This was _not_ good. There was no guarantee Eda would be ready to move, and this lady meant business. “I’d be happy to help. Right this way.”

Luz knew quite well the path back towards the Owl Lady’s stall, but these officers weren’t aware of that. She took as much time as she dared retracing her steps, making a show of trying to recall the wild path she’d been ‘dragged down’ by the elemental. There was only so long she could feasibly stall their progress, however, and the growing frustration of the guard captain’s gaze burrowed into the back of her skull as they meandered.

Finally, after a quarter of an hour, they arrived where Luz had started and she couldn’t contain the wince at the remnants of chaos in the bustling square. Her sprite hadn’t directed its bursts of flames near any vulnerable people or stalls, but in such a crowded locale it was all too easy for a breeze to blow swirling embers into dry cloth. Merchants bustled about, groaning and grumbling as they covered their goods and batted at lightly smoking patches of tarp. The browsing crowd had shifted away after the spectacle, dispersing throughout the marketplace. Thankfully, when she gave it a glance, the overturned roasting pit had been swept up by the owner, leaving no obvious indicator of which merchant had been harboring a ‘fire demon.’

“I’m not really sure which stall it was – I just bumped into the fire pit and that monster came jumping right out.” Lying was not Luz’s strong suit, but so long as she wasn’t making eye contact there were no blatant tells in her body language. “Sorry I couldn’t be of more assistance, but I really need to get going.”

The mage gave a low growl, but responded with forced cheerfulness.

“Thank you for your time, citizen. I am quite sure that we can take it from… here.” Her voice trailed off vaguely, interest peaking in her tone as something caught her attention.

Not. Good. Luz twisted around to follow the woman’s gaze.

Eda the Owl Lady was loitering by the empty lot that her stand had occupied, a sizable rucksack over one shoulder while her other hand rolled a carved staff back and forth anxiously. She had waited for Luz with the guards coming after her?

She wanted to facepalm – the merchant had likely, and reasonably, assumed that Luz would have no way to track her out in the wider town. She probably thought that a plan to cause chaos would end with her return to the square guard-free.

Any hope for a quiet recovery was dashed when Eda’s head shot up, catching sight of her deep purple cloak easily – a moment before she realized who surrounded the young girl she had agreed to let move in.

“What a pleasant surprise to find you here today, Edalyn.” The smug satisfaction in the guardswoman’s voice was plain for all to hear. “I suppose helping out the citizenry was my good deed for the day. Karma does love to repay in full, does it not?”

“Lilith.” The word was ground out with the air of longstanding history. “What, got tired of tasting the Emperor’s boot back in the castle? Thought it’d be fun to give the same treatment to some of the ‘peasants’ down in town?”

Any playfulness in the cold woman evaporated at the insult.

“Actually, I was hoping to catch you busy on one of your off-days. You do so love swindling the common folk out of their hard-earned pay, after all.”

The two were clearly preparing for a brawl – Luz could feel the static crawl of swirling magic fill the air as Lilith and her entourage tensed, hands moving low for the weapons strapped at their belts.

She had to think of something, and fast.

“Gasp! Miss Lilith, you know the infamous Eda, the Owl Lady?” Luz directed a shocked look towards the pale merchant, melodramatically gesturing at her. The guard captain gave her a sideways look, some of her anger bleeding off into exasperation.

“Yes, citizen. I am well acquainted with the Owl Lady and her rampant disrespect for all things decent.”

Luz hoped the other mage couldn’t sense how she was reaching out and gathering the natural blue mana in the air as a spell formed on the tip of her tongue.

“Ha!” Eda barked out a harsh laugh. “I wouldn’t recommend listening to everything my _sister_ says, kid. She loves to play the hero to her own story, regardless of who she has to _trample_ along the way.”

…Well, a sibling rivalry would certainly go a long way towards explaining the well-aged animosity hanging between the two mages.

Lilith spun back around, lashing out with budding anger at her sister’s statement.

“Fine words from a wild witch who rebuffs the law at every turn! Lying and cheating your way through life from start to finish.” The words were spat like acid.

Luz was not a trained mind mage, but she prayed that this spell would work. She’d seen and attempted it before, felt its affects herself, but it was a lot of mana directed towards innocent minds to cast carelessly…

“Is that really how you feel, Lily?” Eda aimed for indifference, but the hurt in her voice shone through. “All that time working for Belos, and that’s what you take away from this?”

She felt the spellwork crescendo in her veins, just as Lilith made to snipe at her sibling once more. Luz grabbed the enraged woman’s arm, bringing her gaze back around to the planeswalker, hoping that by directing her attention towards the mage that the effects would overcome any defenses.

“I just wanted to thank you again for the help today, Miss Lilith. But what I really need right now is for you and your men to _sleep_.”

The sorcery discharged into the air as an intangible corona, washing over the guards surrounding Luz as she directed the mana into their bodies. She was careful to not press upon them too harshly, only wanting the telepathic command to incapacitate them. Most of the becloaked soldiers dropped on the spot, a few staggering drunkenly as they fought against the dizzying effects of the spell.

Lilith stumbled out of her grip as she took the brunt of the effects, eyelids drooping as a bewildered expression crossed her slackening face.

“Wha…? What did you do -?” The cultured woman went down hard, weakly falling to her rump on the cold stones as her magic instinctively counteracted against the attack.

Luz wasted no time, rushing towards a frozen Eda with a shouted command of, “Let’s go!” She tugged on the woman’s staff wielding arm, bringing her back to reality as the drowsy officers tried to reorient themselves. In a smooth motion, the Owl Lady threw a leg over the staff she was carrying, grabbing Luz by the scruff and hauling her up onto the pole ahead of her. The younger woman tried not to overbalance on the narrow length as Eda barked out a command, sending them shooting skywards and away from the hostile crowd below.

As they fled, one guard managed to stumble to their feet, a wild blast of fire tearing up at them from the glowing ring they traced into the air. Luz turned at the roaring rush of fire, a response instinctively leaping to her command through her retained connection to the tides of blue magic. The simple counterspell blasted from her outstretched fingertips, slicing the fireball into nonexistence as they made their daring escape out of Bonesborough.

She gave a wild, victorious whoop as the pair flew into the sky, levelling out at a more controlled pace directed away from the town’s borders. Eda gave her own pleased little chuckle, eyes on the excited girl sat before her as she punched the air merrily.

“That’s the first time I’ve gotten that sleep spell to work! And all for a _cleeeaaan_ getaway.” She emphasized her point with a sliding motion of her hands, sly grin directed over her shoulder at the pale mage.

The Owl Lady let out another snort at her antics, giving a shake of her head in disbelief.

“That was certainly something there, kid. Thought for a second there you’d turned around and ratted me out to the cops, too. And just after my generous offer!” One hand came up to her breastbone in mock offence, the easy joke failing to disguise the genuine moment of concern she had felt.

Luz’s gut twisted with a spike of guilt, recalling how that exact thought had originally crossed her mind, but she shook herself free of potential ‘what-ifs.’

“Nope! No need to worry about me, Miss Eda. I’m no narc.”

“Well, that’s relieving to hear. Eh… I think.” A beat passed. “Being completely honest? When you walked up to my stand and started with that introduction, I was kind of wondering if you were an undercover cop looking to get me hauled off to the Conformatorium.” That didn’t sound like a very pleasant place to be jailed at.

“Haha, no, I was just – surprised at what you were selling. Not many people try to pawn goods from… another world. You know?”

“I _do_ know, that’s why I hand that crud off to the stooges down in town. Today was pretty slow, but I’ve made a killing on that kind of sale before.” A knowing, suspicious glint was in her eye as she looked down at her passenger. “Especially when I can get that stuff up and running again.”

Luz turned away quickly, her elation dimming at those words.

“I’m just good with my hands. You’ve gotta be when you’re on your own for so long.”

“…Trust me kid.” The warm timbre of Eda’s voice sounded choked in her ear. “I know all about that.”

The rest of the flight was taken in stilted silence, allowing Luz to bask in the wondrous view of the Isles sweeping by, her wandering eyes hungrily devouring the sights of an alien world.

It wasn’t long before the peak of a tall cottage came into view on the edge of the canopy, a crumbling stone tower rising up behind it like a rocky spine. The second floor was dominated by open balconies and a masterfully crafted panel of stained glass, the impression of a monstrous eye leering down in hues of red and orange.

“Welcome to the Owl House, my most recent stray. Where I escape the reach of dunderheads like my sister for the comforts of a quiet life. Er, _quieter_ life.”

The staff swooped low, smoothly aligning itself parallel to the porch to allow its passengers a safe dismount. Luz couldn’t help the small gasp leaving her as she took in the grandiose presentation of the remote home, eliciting a satisfied smirk from the owner.

“Oh yeah, she’s quite the beauty. Found some of it, built some of it too, but it’s all mine. The perks of being a bachelorette, you know?”

“I – Yeah. Wow. It’s a gorgeous place, Miss Eda. Just the kind of house I hope to have one day.” Her stomach flip-flopped a little at her own words, the verbalizing of an ancient dream after so long feeling odd.

“Glad to hear it. Though, there is one more thing before we get you moved in.” Her voice was carefully nonchalant from behind Luz, but the girl didn’t pick up on her phrasing, too engrossed in the magical structure before her.

“Uh, yeah? What was that?”

“Nothing, nothing. Just satisfying some of my curiosity.” The Owl Lady yanked the hood of her beloved cloak down to her shoulders, dragging Luz from her enchanted state as she let out an indignant yelp.

“A _ha_! I knew it!” Eda’s voice rang with triumphant vindication. “You’re no witch at all, you’re a _human_. Which is how you knew about fixing that little doohickey at my stand!”

She pulled herself free, adjusting her lengthy braid to rest over the disturbed hood as she reflected that maybe the people around here had some sort of issue with maintaining personal boundaries.

“Yes. I’m human.” Irritation and confusion crept into Luz’s words. “Is that some kind of problem?”

“ _Humans_ ,” Eda announced loudly, “Can’t do magic. I’ve never heard of a single one being able to cast even the tiniest of spells, but you -” Her hands gesticulated wildly. “Were slinging magic like any witch I could name! And I wanna know how you do it.”

That was… a bit bizarre. But if these people – the ‘witches’ Eda claimed lived on these islands – had only ever encountered humans from Earth, where Luz had never seen any magic occur, that might explain the woman’s confusion.

“I don’t know what to tell you.” Luz gave her a look full of trepidation. “It’s just something I was taught by some friends. They didn’t find it weird that a human could perform magic, but they’re also from… pretty far away.”

“Hmm. A mysterious backstory of intrigue and unknown magics, huh?” The Owl Lady hummed, a hand cupping her chin. “Well, now I’ve definitely gotta keep you around. I’m a sucker for new spells, and vague sob stories from homeless little vagrants like yourself.”

“…Wow. Way to make a girl feel welcomed.” Luz grumbled mulishly. The insensitive witch clapped a friendly hand around her shoulder, guiding the pair towards her front door.

“Ah, I don’t mean anything by it, kid. ‘Sides, if you’re gonna stay with me for a bit, then that means you’re only a mysterious _houseguest_ with a tragic backstory, not a bum.”

“Honestly? That’s not really helping.”

“What can I say, I’m a mixed bag when it comes to emotional support. On that note…” She stuck a pair of clawed fingers into her mouth, letting out a shrill whistle as they reached the door. “Open up, Hooty! The new roomie and I need to get inside.”

Luz had been expecting any number of things from that call, but the door knocker blinking sleepily and then _stretching_ wetly from the wooden frame was not one of them.

“Hiya, Eda! Bring back any tasty bugs or garbage for me to chew up?”

 _Dios mio._ That voice was like claws running through Luz’s brain.

“Not today, you weirdo. Gonna have to settle for what you can catch in the yard later.” Eda gave a quick shake of the stunned girl in her grasp. “This here is Luz, and she’s going to be living with us for a bit. Don’t bother her, or try to eat her or whatever else you do to those goons that come poking around the property, you hear?”

“Hooty hoot, sounds good to me! The best kind of friends are the ones you don’t have to digest!”

“…Yeah, I don’t have time to unpack that statement right now. We’ll be going inside.”

Thankfully, the demented thing embedded in Eda’s walls had to open itself entirely to allow them inside, preventing it from saying anything else too horrifically traumatizing for Luz to try and handle.

“That whole interaction was… way more disturbing than I was expecting.” Luz mumbled.

“Yes, well, that’s Hooty for you.” A flick of Eda’s fingers sent a spark of light racing around the room, lighting the numerous lamps and torches lining the walls in an unfolding wave of warm illumination.

Priceless artifacts and pointless junk crowded the shelves and cabinets in equal measure, the aesthetics of a well-lived home completed by the plush, worn out pieces of mismatching furniture filling the foyer. A fire crackled to life with a snap as the spell concluded, the leading burst of light diving from the ring of candles into a stack of prepared logs in the hearth. All in all, the Owl House’s atmosphere was pleasantly cozy, considering its bizarre inhabitants.

The Owl Lady deposited her sack of goods and handsomely carved staff with an absentminded toss, moving towards the kitchenette stretching out of the main fore. To add to Luz’s continued line of shocking discoveries, the wooden owl topping the witch’s transport animated with a shudder, winging from its discarded perch to rest itself on Eda’s slim shoulder as she bustled about the kitchen.

A high-pitched call rang out from deeper within the arcane home, catching Luz’s ear as she followed her witch host into the dining area.

“Eda! Do you have a new minion to serve my supreme majesty? I’m so tired of having to browbeat Hooty into doing really basic stuff around the house!”

The third, unannounced member of the Owl House stomped down creaking stairs into the living room, and she couldn’t contain the high-pitched squeal that left her at the sight.

“Uh… I think you _broke_ her somehow. Most people don’t make a sound like that without a punctured lung – Gurk!” The tiny being’s words were choked off as Luz swept him from his paws, squeezing the furry black beasty to her chest as his skull-capped head jerked away in a panic.

“ _Dios Bueno_ , you are the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen speak.” It was for the best that no dogs were nearby, on account of how high Luz’s voice had reached.

“Aaah! _Eda_! This isn’t a servant; you brought a carnivorous assassin into the house and she’s trying to _consume me_!”

“Wow, okay. You’re a major sucker for cute things.” Eda blinked bemusedly, before giving an indifferent shrug. “Welp, not my problem. Luz, meet the King of Demons. He’s my freeloading roommate that runs potion sales for me – when he can be bothered, that is. The lovable little guy on my shoulder is Owlbert, my palisman.” One hand came up, a clawed finger stroking the miniature bird across the breast and drawing a content hoot from it. The pale woman turned about, rooting through the aging refrigerator for some basic foodstuffs. “Anybody else want a sandwich?”

“Yes please! Two, if you’re willing.”

She didn’t receive a coherent response from King, seeing as he was too busy shrieking about being cuddled by his new housemate. He was finally released onto a stool adjacent to the kitchen table, panting heavily as Eda slid a laden plate in front of both him and the ravenous young planeswalker.

Luz tucked into her meal with gusto, one eye on Eda as they ate in companiable quiet. She strove not to choke down her sandwiches as quickly as possible, but old habits die hard. Busy days and nights around unbound campfires with nomadic clans far from civilization left her an efficient, if messy eater.

In short order, the pair of sandwiches and handful of unrecognizable fruits the Owl Lady had graciously thrown in were wolfed down, and Luz was left to wait for her bemused-looking hosts to complete their own meals. After swallowing the final bite of her entrée, Eda cleared her throat with a sip of water, her eyes on Luz.

“So,” She began. “Let’s summarize. I’ve got space for another roommate here at the Owl House, and you don’t have anywhere to stay permanently in town. I could stand for some help with my businesses from somebody a bit more _consistent_ in their work ethic -” King maintained his best guileless expression. “- And on top of that, we’ve both got some interesting little tidbits for each other. You’re a human who knows magic, and I know how to source items from the human realm. We all caught up here?”

Luz nodded even as King clambered up to head level from his seat, inspecting her rounded ears with a squint after Eda’s proclamation.

“Good. This is what I’m offering: you teach me about those weird spells you were casting back there, and help me out with potions and the marketplace. In exchange, you get room and board until something else comes along, and if I like where this little arrangement is going, I’ll help you with finding stuff from your home world. Deal?” Her saleswoman smirk was back as she held her hand out for a shake.

_Time and patience, Luz. Just a little more before you’re home._

“Deal.” A handshake and a smile to seal the promise.

“Glad to do business with you.” Eda’s smile this time was much more genuine than it had been in the bazaar. “Since we’re already burning daylight, let’s get started. You can help me pick through the trash I’ve already nabbed and pull out the best finds.”

* * *

That night, as Luz collapsed into her bedroll in a dusty attic full of creaking and looming shadows, she dreamt vividly.

_The world was engulfed in choking fog, peeling away before her to reveal a walkway made of enormous vertebrae. There was nothing and no one to find – the thick cloud muffling even her cries for assistance. The only path for Luz was forward._

_The bones shuddered and groaned as she travelled over them. Snaps like cracking ice and whipping cords filled the air, crisp to the ear even when suppressed by the low-hanging smog._

_She walked for an eternity, and only a moment. When the path dipped down sharply, plunging into the white void, the veil fizzled away to reveal the Titan’s grand skull. Its formless jaw rose from the mists, teeth like stalagmites as it loomed over her. The moment of death caught in perpetuity._

_Wind hissed from its gaping maw, swirling and blasting past Luz as she fought to retain her footing. It sounded like whispers on the breeze, a corpse’s final gasp made manifest. Trying to convey some vital last words of wisdom._

_But the gale tore her frail human body away, down into the void before anything could be heard._

Luz bolted awake, sweat streaking her back as a firm gust of wind smashed the faulty window against the wall with a slam. It brought with it the scent of the Titan’s breath from her dream: a tinge of worn metals and salty, foreign seas.

She put it from her half-awakened mind, securing the window best she could as she sought slumber once more.

Her second day on the Boiling Isles concluded with the sight of stars obscured, only aging wood and cold drafts to keep her company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still learning how to use the site's interface, but things are slowly getting less screwy over time, so this upload should look a bit nicer than Chapter 2.
> 
> Thanks to everybody for coming by and giving this story a read! I appreciate the feedback I've been getting.
> 
> Update: Adjusted Lilith's description as I am apparently bad at identifying colors properly.


	4. Interlude 1

A pair of worn, featureless ceramic glasses waited to be filled.

The best coffee blend currently available in the castle bubbled in a pot, with two cubes of sugar and an ounce of creamer for each cup on the side.

Their portable stove blazed healthily as the coffee pot boiled just enough for the two mugs. It wouldn’t do to waste good caffeine.

One steaming drink found its way to Lilith Clawthorne’s desk, the firm rap on wood from the mug making her jerk fitfully from her nap. She wasted little time in downing as much liquid as quickly as possible without searing the flesh of her mouth too horribly, while her more awake underling made certain to take only measured sips, standing at attention quietly.

The leader of the Emperor’s Coven muttered darkly to herself as she peered blearily into the depths of her cup, as if trying to parse secrets from the way its dregs settled to the bottom. Considering it wasn’t tea leaves, she likely wouldn’t be able to determine much, if anything.

“Well,” She stated only partially to herself. “Edalyn remains as crafty as ever. I can’t say that I was betting on an active _accomplice_.”

Her audience remained silent, awaiting her address.

“I definitely wasn’t anticipating some kind of – invisible spellcasting, either. I didn’t even think something like that would be _possible_ without serious magical artifacts.” One hand rubbed subconsciously at her chin as Lilith pondered the aftermath of their disastrous attempt at an arrest earlier.

She released an exaggerated sigh that left her sagging, looking aged beyond her years. Finally, she turned to address her company, absentmindedly noting the still-steaming cup in their hand.

“I didn’t see much after the spell, but you – you were the only one cognizant to get an attack off at my sister and her little helper.” Lilith looked her over, the remainder of her professional countenance softening. “A commendable effort, by the way. What are your thoughts on the matter, Miss Blight?”

Dropping her impeccable stance, Amity Blight shook herself free of her coven-issue cloak, clipping the avian mask to her belt while draining the remnants of her coffee in a single gulp.

“The chase involving the demon was clearly an act.” She spoke succinctly, free of any judgment in her tone. “There were enough minor fires set to keep a majority of the coven members occupied, and the rest of the distraction was sold by the crowd panicking.” A pause, as she thought over the circumstances of the day. “The Owl Lady needed time to pack, at least the fifteen minutes we spent with her accomplice.”

Amity didn’t dare continue into the depths of taboo topics, but a pointed gaze had Lilith nodding at her assessment.

“The curse seems to be slowing her down, then. I can clearly recall her spiriting away entire tents worth of goods with little effort in the past.” The coven commander seemed to perk up as her mind mulled over their conversation, the thrill of the hunt reinvigorating her.

Perhaps she didn’t mind casually addressing her sibling’s affliction, but Amity would happily leave her commanding officer to speak of such things. It felt a tad… uncouth to talk so freely of someone that ill, even if they were a repeat offender.

“Do you have any adjustments to the coven’s orders, Miss Clawthorne?”

“No.” The answer was firm, in spite of her earlier frustrations. “Remind the others to stay as they are – observe the Owl House and report any findings to me, nothing more. Edalyn is my responsibility.” She picked at her sullied cloak, expression souring for a moment. “Clearly a head-on confrontation will simply add to the trouble of containing her. A workaround of some sort is necessary, for her and that damnable house demon.”

“And her accomplice, Miss Clawthorne?” Best to cover this territory sooner rather than later.

“Place her under observation when available, as well. I am curious as to how she accomplished those acts today, but drawing Edalyn’s ire by targeting a possible apprentice seems unwise. Especially considering we know little about her capabilities.”

Amity hesitated, feeling her queries drawing closer to toeing the line.

“…Do you believe the Emperor should be informed of these developments, ma’am? The Owl Lady is one thing, but what her companion did…”

“That will not be necessary _,_ Miss Blight.” The cordiality fled her voice at the suggestion, and Amity knew it was a response born of fear, not conviction. “There are numerous logical explanations as to how that young witch did what she did, and we currently have little idea of the ‘how’ or ‘why.’ Better to understand the situation further before we waste our Emperor’s time with frivolities.”

“Of course, ma’am.” Came the clipped response. “At your leave, then.”

Lilith levelled a tired look in her direction, a tinge of regret settling in her expression before she gave her underling a weak smile.

“Apologies for my loss of temper, Amity. It was a valid question.” Her grin grew, turning wryer as her posture loosened. “You know that you don’t need to be so formal with me. I’m not going to snap your head off for a bit of wit – you can leave the gargoyle impression to the more fearful minions.”

That was enough to break the ice a bit, Amity letting a small chuckle escape alongside her own smile.

“My parents sought to raise a perfect young lady of House Blight, Miss Lilith. It’s not something easily dropped.”

Lilith’s expression darkened at the mention of her parents, a bit of determination filling her spine as she stood from her desk, clapping both hands gently to Amity’s shoulders.

“Odalia and Alador may have brought up an impeccable young Blight,” She stated firmly, holding Amity’s gaze. “But I’ve _trained_ a prodigy for years who is more than the sum of her parent’s lessons on manners and etiquette, important as they might be.”

Her smile returned then, softer and warmer than its prior appearance.

“You’ll make a fantastic coven leader, one day. Just the right amount of character to offset the terrifying reputation of heading the Emperor’s Coven itself.” She gave a cheeky chuckle at the blush crawling up her employee’s cheeks.

“Thank you, ma’am. It – means a lot, coming from you.”

Lilith released the grip on her young charge, stepping back a respectful distance as she folded her hands in a parade rest.

“Certainly. It’s important to ensure your underlings know when they’ve done an outstanding job – as much as it pains me to admit it, an organization like this is only as strong as the weakest link.”

A mischievous twinkle broke her stern façade once more, making Amity tense at the sly smirk sliding into her expression.

“Of course, this also means I am obligated to check on the coven’s health from time to time, including their mental wellbeing.” A pause, as her face blanked. “Tell me, Miss Blight, do you have any potential suitors in mind? It’s important to maintain a balanced life outside of work, and -”

“ _Well_ Miss Clawthorne I appreciate your glowing review of my performance but I really must be updating the coven detachment on our orders so I’ll be going now, goodbye!” Amity all but fled her commander’s office, the muffled sounds of Lilith’s guffaws hidden behind a hand chasing the desperate girl from the room.

It took but a moment to reaffix her equipment, the sleek metal of her mask hiding the burning in her cheeks and ears from the good-natured ribbing. Miss Clawthorne was lucky that Amity considered her a… major influence on her life, what with her occasional teasing about finding the girl a ‘partner.’

She was less than a year into her membership with the Emperor’s Coven, and barely out of secondary education. The thought of tying herself to anyone for the rest of her life was not the most appealing of prospects, currently. That went doubly so if her commander – or worse, her _parents_ – were looking for a suitor from the… wrong pool of bachelors.

Amity shook herself from such unprofessional thoughts, spine straightening and stride growing confident as she slipped back into the role of deputy-head for the prestigious Emperor’s Coven. Orders needed to be dished out, members needed to be checked medically for any lingering effects of the day’s blunder, and the law still stood to be upheld by its dedicated servants.

The first order of business: to establish a watch rotation on the misbegotten Owl House deep in the Bonesborough woods, and locate a viable weakness to exploit.

Amity Blight moved with purpose into the belly of the Emperor’s domain, her timely departure from Lilith’s office preventing her from witnessing the coven leader in deep thought, staring a burning hole towards the inner keep where their liege resided.

* * *

From the moment the kid wandered up to her stall, Eda Clawthorne had her pegged as either an inexperienced coven rat – or a runaway, completely and utterly out of their depth.

She wasn’t exactly a local _celebrity_ per se, but every resident of Bonesborough knew the name and likeness of Eda, the great and powerful Owl Lady. This girl, though – she didn’t even so much as flinch when the witch dropped her name casually. She was too busy gawking at the piles of human garbage cluttering Eda’s stall, as if the random useless trinkets held the mysteries of the universe within them.

Except her wares – they weren’t as ‘pointless’ as she might have assumed, not based on how the strange girl had gotten some of it functioning. Only a bunch of magicless schmucks would think to make a miniature Scroll capable of doing math on the fly for their children, but the Owl Lady was silently impressed, both with the utility of the device – and the handiness of her odd customer. It was almost jarring, how someone so bad at intentionally hiding information at surface level tried desperately to play their cards close to their chest.

And oh, did Luz Noceda need to work on her deceptions. She might have fooled ol’ Lilith and her lackeys with that little show in the market, but spend more than a minute speaking to the teenager and she was likely to fumble her fibs in short order. Coins that were ‘old family heirlooms,’ huh? Yet they looked practically clean out of the mint, even if they were a bit smudged up with grime. Asking about local prices while trying to act low-key, letting her obsessive interest with humans shine through every other sentence – the girl needed to get her story straight if she expected to actually trick anyone determined to parse out the truth.

After all was said and done, Eda still had her money on the kid being a runaway, even with her poorly maintained falsehoods. It was difficult to admit how much of a punch to the gut that was, seeing a hungry young witch – or human teenager, as it were – asking naïve questions about how to feed herself. Where she could stay, what she could pawn to keep herself afloat. _Titan,_ she was such a sucker. If Luz hadn’t started their conversation with such an off-kilter approach, she might never have even questioned the oddities in front of her. As it was, Eda still had to contend with her long-buried sympathetic instincts even as she prodded the girl for information to see if she’d slip up and let onto whatever game she was trying to play.

But the more obvious elements of her newfound houseguest were only a drop in the bucket of Eda’s curiosity. The knowledge of human devices and interest in their scraps, giving way to reveal that the kid _herself_ was human – which didn’t add up at all, in the Owl Lady’s books.

It was well-established fact, both on the Isles and in the Human Realm, that the round-eared cousins of Demon Realm witches could not perform any kind of magic. Not the simplest bit of spellcraft was available to them, and so they made do with their own arcane sciences and lessons that went right over Eda’s head.

Yet she had clearly witnessed Luz blast the Emperor’s Coven goons with some kind of mass sleep spell – _without_ a circle in sight, to boot. Besides that, she’d been a little too busy packing to see what the original distraction she mustered up was, but could’ve sworn that a little demon of all things had just appeared from the blue to tackle Luz and lead her screaming away into the market. And then their daring flight into the sky – one toady gets a solid fireball racing after them, and the kid just _stops_ it full bore, a simple wave of her hand that made the shot disappear without so much as a pop.

Color Eda _interested_ in her little find at the marketplace. It wasn’t until the end of their flight home that she could confirm her suspicions about Luz’s heritage for herself, but that just made the mystery all the more tantalizing.

Powerful, unknown types of magic cast by a human of all people; add to the fact that the kid’s humor jived well with her own, and the all-but-stated appearance of a runaway fleeing home – the Owl Lady was determined to figure this chick’s deal out, and maybe get some nice new tricks to sweeten the deal. Any magic that strong had to have come from somebody well hidden from Belos’ tyrannical reign against ‘wild magic,’ and if they were willing to teach some random human… Maybe a witch struggling with the shackles of a draining curse could stand to benefit from more power at her disposal.

Eda didn’t acknowledge to herself that she’d have still offered a place to sleep, even if the girl wasn’t a powerful or handy magic user. There was no way her presence on the Isles was in any way a coincidence – how would a human even get here? The Owl Lady was the only person with a way to the Human Realm on the islands, as far as she knew. Had to be one hell of a story.

Once she’d gotten a better picture of Luz and her whole deal, Eda would bring up the portal.

Wouldn’t want to spook a runaway kid with the threat of getting hauled home, after all.


	5. Chapter 5

The dawn of Luz Noceda’s third day on the Boiling Isles saw her waking well before anybody else in the enigmatic Owl House. The warm rays of early morning light filtering through the port window overlooking her attic chamber, gently rousing the planeswalker from her slumber as her internal clock pushed for wakefulness.

Jungle nomads didn’t linger long, nor slack off when it came to the daily struggle of life in the Zendakari wilds. Similarly, the rowdy and tumultuous energy of the wandering Gruul guildmembers tended towards early starting hours, warming themselves against the chill of breaking dawn with foraging and scuffling. Luz had slowly adapted to their lifestyles of rough physical exertion and long midday hours by necessity, and nowadays found herself as the earliest riser just about anywhere she travelled.

A quick trip to the bathroom Eda had shown her the previous day saw her teeth cleaned and snarled braid redone, giving her ample time to stretch out her aching limbs and get sluggish blood flowing for plenty of early activity.

She walked as quietly as possible down the winding stairs towards the kitchenette, her worn-out travelling boots threatening to wake anybody nearby – though thankfully, it seemed King had decided on sleeping somewhere upstairs instead of the couch as Luz feared. Her beloved cloak remained above with the better part of her gear, only a pair of simple trousers and a blouse to keep her warm as she foraged the cabinets for breakfast. Surely Eda wouldn’t mind if she took the initiative to make herself a meal?

It occurred to Luz halfway through that perhaps she should have asked the Owl Lady some questions about potential allergies before they’d retired for the night prior. It hadn’t really been a problem in the past, but if witch anatomy differed too greatly from human norms, it could be an issue later down the line. A conversation for later, she supposed, pouring herself a generous helping of what seemed to be standard oatmeal into a dish.

The air of the Isles bit crisply at her lungs as she stepped outside, staff in hand and meal warming her gut. The Owl House sat comfortably amidst a clearing in the omnipresent trees, with a greater break in the foliage along the seaside cliff dominating its one flank. It was there that Luz began running through the preparatory exercises she had learned so long ago, limbs flowing slowly but confidently through stretches, the backdrop of the rising sun silhouetting her with bo staff in hand as it sang in the chilled air.

The density of the woods helped her focus on calling up the energy necessary to summon a much larger companion than she had the day before, green mana creeping steadily through the soil and wind with the slow, pulsing growth of a hearty sapling. By the time she had finished her first set of warm-ups, the pumping of emerald magic through her body was reaching a peak. Luz slowed to a stop, taking deep steadying breaths as she reached out through the void of the Blind Eternities, calling once more on the bound soul of an elemental companion.

It had been a heart stopping shock to sit down on a vine-coated boulder just off a beaten rainforest path, panting from exertion, only to go shooting into the air as the head of the surprised elemental she had sat on rose skywards. Her Kor companions had scattered with panicked shouts, expecting the nature spirit to lash out in rage at those who had disturbed its rest – only to stop, dumbfounded, as it gently scooped the terrified human teen from its head and deposit her on the ground. In a moment of frightened disbelief, she had reached out a trembling hand to set lightly on the massive creature’s facsimile of a skull, drawing a low rumble like a creaking glacier from its form as the being accepted her contact.

The even-tempered elemental travelled with the roaming tribe for weeks as they passed through narrow gaps and swaying trees, its pace unhurried and curious as it studied their movements, sticking closely to an ecstatic Luz in their wanderings.

The last time she saw her friend on Zendikar was the day it gifted her a staff of living wood, drawn from its body like a splinter that still sang with the vibrant life of the plane’s fierce heart. It had seemed uncharacteristically reserved that day – and by the following morning the entity had heeded a call none of its companions could hear, a single traveler in the massive migration of elemental spirits streaming across the lands towards a distant threat that had the Kor trading concerned whispers and sleepless nights for days after.

It wasn’t long after its departure that the first of the Eldrazi invaders began to appear on the horizon.

Luz was dragged back to the present by the sound of reality tearing asunder, the ground beside the jagged cliff churning and rumbling with frantic energy as the fabric between worlds was breached. The tumbling soil shot upwards, melting into the shape of a grasping paw as vines and roots twisted between the rocky digits like veins. Slowly but surely, the distinct simian-esque body of Luz’s old friend took form in the condensed rock and plant life.

She’d always known her companion had survived the plane-wide war with the horrific monsters that had flooded the wilds – even on distant worlds, the living core of her staff pulsed in tune with the essence of the spirit, a comforting presence on lonely nights that reminded Luz of the acceptance she had found so far from home. That didn’t stop her from racing in for a bone-crushing hug, encircling the reptilian head of her oldest friend as the entity finished forming from the soil of the Boiling Isles. It delighted her even further when the inhuman being reciprocated the embrace, an arm as thick as a tree trunk gently wrapping around her body.

“Hey there, big guy,” She whispered. “Long time no see. How are things going back in the jungle?”

A sound like rustling leaves and chirping birds swirled around her, eliciting a pleased chuckle from the planeswalker. The nameless avatar didn’t speak any language she could replicate, but used its own unique form of communication to convey its point – and the peaceful sensation of thriving new life in its tone let her know quite well how the recovering world was doing.

“That’s good to hear. Things weren’t… looking great when I had to -” _Run_ , her mind muttered. _Flee like a coward_. “Leave like I did. But that’s – great! I’m happy for you.”

Grinding boulders and the echoing calls of jungle wildlife met her statement as Luz pulled back. She gave her companion a hearty grin, planting a fist at her hip.

“It’s been quite a while since you gave me my staff. Want to see how good I’ve gotten with it? Catch up through a friendly brawl, you know? I bet I could take you in a spar.” Her eyebrows waggled playfully at the towering golem.

It cackled in the throaty voices of screaming jungle fowl, the pair sliding into easy stances as they made to engage in mock combat.

On reflection, she should have considered that for as large as the elemental was, a survivor of the Eldrazi assault would likely have to be very quick on their feet, as well. Luz knew she was in no true danger from her friend, but she couldn’t stop the swelling irritation at repeatedly missing her target while it danced away from her blows, the fact it was the size of a tank meaning little for its flexibility. Fine – if her partner didn’t want to play fair, then neither would she.

She tamped down on her growing aggression, focusing it into precise hits towards the spirit’s weaker joints even as she drew upon memories of jagged peaks reaching for the skies. Red mana flowed like hungry flames down her limbs, lending a speed and power to her attacks that left Luz on more even footing with her opponent. The elemental reared back in surprise at the renewed onslaught, the young adventurer giving a victorious shout as she managed to land several solid taps on its narrow knees and elbows.

Not to be outdone, the elemental retaliated with its own offense. Luz was put on the backfoot when it surged forward, vines snapping as living tendrils towards her legs in an attempt at driving her to the ground. She was forced to bat them away to avoid a fatal entanglement, and barely brought her staff up in a jab fast enough to catch the spirit just below its ‘chin’ as it bore down on her. The strike was sloppy, but it was enough to redirect its charge sideways, letting Luz dodge from beneath its formidable bulk.

Her heart was well and truly pounding at this point, the ebb and flow of harnessed mana swirling over her as adrenaline sharpened her mind and focused her connection to the faraway lands Luz had once bonded with. The pull of wild rainforests grew once more in her breast and she seized the refreshed well of magic, a clawed twist of her hand tearing conjured vines of her own from the ground to ensnare her opponent. It failed to anticipate its own attack being brought to bear against itself, wasting precious seconds ripping limbs free of the tangle as Luz lunged forward.

The staff rapped the beast across its head once, twice, three times as red magic burned in her muscles, granting her unnatural ferocity. The elemental was stunned, giving a lumbering swipe in her direction as it retreated, the other arm covering its vulnerable ‘face’ from the assault. Luz backstepped to avoid the wild swing, smacking it across the wrist in a parting strike. She was gulping down air, sweat beading her brow from the effort, but the taste of impending victory was sweet. She quite easily recalled the many times her alien friend would gurgle laughter like a rushing river at her as the Kor taught her staff combat, leaving Luz winded on her rear more often than not. Turnabout was fair play, after all –

Neither of them detected the ambush before it was already upon them.

“HOOT HOOT! Don’t worry Luz, I’ll save you!”

She was thrown back, sent sprawling with a yelp as an enormous, snaking body burst from the ground between Luz and her companion. The disorientating effects of her prior attacks were only amplified as the elemental found itself enwrapped by a slithering, feathery tube, the horrific elongated body of Eda’s guardian creature attaching like a hungry python. Evidently, they had awoken Hooty with their duel.

“Sorry Not-Friend, but the boss lady was clear on what to do with intruders.”

The lengthy body whipped like a cord, tossing the multi-ton nature spirit clear across the yard with a snap and sending it head over heels into the tree line. The gnarled trunks halted its tumbling roll, creaking lowly as the impact threatened to uproot them from the soil. The elemental took a moment to compose itself – only to realize the damaged caused to the innocent forest life by their scuffle. Luz could see the moment its mind turned over in rage, tearing across the clearing towards the strange house creature.

“Stop, stop! Both of you! Hooty, he’s a _friend_!” She leapt from the ground, placing herself with arms akimbo between the fuming spirit and the bristling owl being.

Hooty let out a choked cry as his lower half was suddenly smashed into the wall by the slam of the front door, a barely-awake Owl Lady fuming in the doorway in raggedy pajamas with King lurking nervously at ankle level.

“ _Why_ the _fu_ – oh, what in the name of the _Titan_ is in my front yard. The sun is barely even _up_.”

Luz knew she was blushing like mad from the burning in her face, even as the combatants stood stupefied on the ruined lawn. Eda cut a significantly less imposing figure in her sleeping clothes, but the glare she was levelling at the trio was strong enough to possibly set them aflame, even if she was half-blind with exhaustion.

“Uh, good morning Eda. Um. Miss Owl Lady. This is a friend of mine. We were… sparring. For fun?” She couldn’t contain the wince at her own meek response, one which drew the woman’s irate gaze to her so fast Luz feared she might get whiplash from the motion.

She tried not to fidget as her host burned a hole through her with golden eyes, before giving the same treatment once more to the cowering owl tube and the elemental, who somehow managed to convey a level of sheepishness without a face.

“I’m going back to bed now. If I hear a _single_ noise from _anyone_ for the next few hours, I will throw this entire house into the ocean with everybody inside.” King slunk out of the entryway just before the door slammed roughly behind Eda, leaving three very cowed beings on the lawn as the fearsome Owl Lady returned to her slumber. Feeling increasingly awkward about the whole affair, Luz turned to the stretched owl creature.

“Sorry for waking you up, Hooty. And getting us yelled at. I wasn’t really thinking we were gonna be that loud, and – I’m not used to having someone like… you around.” She kept her voice low, per Eda’s threat of destroying her entire household in a fit of rage.

“Oh, that’s okay new friend!” His high-pitched voice was brought down to an exaggerated whisper, as apparently, he also feared the wrath of a tired Owl Lady. “I know house demons like me aren’t too common around here. I was just worried that my new roomie was getting destroyed by some overgrown plant monster!”

“Hey, I was doing plenty well in that fight, thank you very much.” Luz huffed, before relenting after a moment. “But thanks for trying to keep me safe. I appreciate it.”

“No problem, bestie!”

She gave a look back towards the building, where the owl thing was anchored to the front door.

“How far can you stretch from the house? We can go hang out closer to the woods, if you can get over there. Maybe we won’t wake Eda up that way. Er, again.”

Luz glanced over at the tiny demon who’d followed them out, now awkwardly standing on the porch, likely too awake to try sleeping again but fearing for his own safety in the face of their host’s wrath.

“Want to come along King? We’ll kill a few hours while we wait for her to get up for the day.”

The adorable demon gave a wide yawn, jaw snapping as his tired voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere simultaneously.

“Your ruler is always up for entertainment from the lower class. And, uh, I don’t wanna get skinned by Eda for being too loud right now.”

Gesturing to the pair, Luz led the way into the fringe of the towering woods, her elemental companion following carefully between the narrow gaps of the tree line. They stopped a few dozen yards into the forest as Hooty approached his limits on extension, the smaller clearing just large enough to house the quartet. Calling once more on her connection to nature magics, Luz yanked a solid pair of extruded columns into being from the ground, giving herself and King somewhere to rest as Hooty and the foreign spirit nestled themselves in the surrounding grass. A gentle wind wound through the trees, cooling the air comfortably as the four sat in silence.

King was the first to break the comfortable quiet, eyeballing Luz with undisguised curiosity.

“What kind of magic were you just using? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone who can cast spells without a circle, besides a few weird magical animals here and there.”

Luz pondered the question for a moment, a distant look in her eye as she turned the question over in her mind.

“I don’t really know. It’s just how I was taught that people used magic. I know I’ve never seen anybody who had to cast spells with those glowing rings that Miss Eda used - maybe it’s a regional thing? She might have a better idea.”

King grunted in agreement, leaving the group to descend into silence once more – only to be broken by the furred demon once again.

“ _Ugh_. I’m already bored.” He flopped over onto his back, giving his feet a cute little kick of frustration in the air as he whined. “This is why I don’t bother getting up before Eda – she’s the most exciting person on this island, even if she plays at being a mean old witch.”

“Well…” The gears of Luz’s mind turned over in search of an answer. “We could pass the time with a game.”

King’s head perked up, squinting suspiciously at her.

“What _kind_ of game? I’ve only got six fingers total for holding stuff – and Hooty’s stuck using his mouth.”

“Yeah, I use it to eat lots of yummy insects I find crawling around!” She had almost forgotten how disturbing his train of thought was, hidden beneath the touching care displayed earlier.

“Have any of you played Tic-Tac-Toe before?”

* * *

Even with the dangers inherent to this neck of the woods, the stretch of overgrown pathways leading from Bonesborough to the infamous Owl House always made for a pleasant and relaxing walk. This far from civilization wild examples of plant life grew plentifully and vibrantly, flowering under the heat of high summer as warmth swept over the isles. The trees here had the grandest trunks, old age leaving them curling haphazardly around one another towards breaks in the canopy above with their orange and indigo leaves.

Willow Park could spend all day waxing poetic about the different plants out here, but alas, she was soon to be on the clock. She had little desire to test the patience of the Owl Lady, after all.

By the time the secluded house was coming into sight at the bottom of a gentle hill, the sun was approaching its zenith in the sky. A quick sip of cooled liquid from her waterskin kept Willow’s mouth wet as she sighed at the exertion. If there was one good thing about having to routinely make the trip on foot, it’s that it was quickly burning off any remaining baby fat she had left from her younger years.

She couldn’t help but slow to a stop, however, at the lower murmur of voices amongst the foliage surrounding the arcane Owl House. Slowing to a stop, her pointed ears pricked in direction of the sounds, encouraging her to move nervously off the beaten path. This wasn’t the first time she had stumbled across strangers lingering near Eda’s home – in most cases it was the dreaded Emperor’s Coven, the anonymous servants of the tyrant of the Isles trying to glean useful information on the most infamous wild witch left in the region.

As Willow crept closer, however, the tones of mirth and light conversation were made clear, at odds with the hushed whispers of grave soldiers scoping out their potential prey. Regardless, she strained to hear what was being said over the rustling din of a living forest, her gaze pointed towards the source of the racket.

“You traitorous worm, Hooty! I was about to claim victory with that impeccable strategy!” That was clearly the sound of the Owl Lady’s roommate, but what was he doing in the woods?

“Yeah right, King. You keep going for straight lines! Even I know that isn’t gonna work.” And there was Hooty, his awful voice scratching at Willow’s sensitive ears like usual.

“Yes it _will_ you giant pigeon! Luz, he has to be cheating – tell him to stop targeting my masterful plans!”

“King, we’re all trying to win here.” _That_ voice was new – the rich, lilting tones of an unfamiliar young woman. Had Eda found another witch in need? “I warned you guys it was going to get kinda messy with four people playing at the same time. And uh, he’s right, you keep just making single lines until somebody stops you. Not a great strat, buddy.”

“Fools, the lot of you. You’ll see the magnificent scope of my works when I’ve crushed you all beneath my heel!”

A sound not unlike a contained landslide followed King’s exclamation, leaving Willow to pause in confusion. What in the name of the Titan made a noise like _that_? Feeling her growing curiosity overcome any remaining trepidation, she stepped fully into view of the clearing.

She recognized two of the party before her from prior visits to the Owl House, King and Hooty being seated (and extended) at rest in front of a block of roughly hewn stone, a sturdy branch in each hand (or mouth, for the housebound demon). The remaining two individuals, however, Willow had no recollection of ever seeing previously – and they made for quite the striking sight.

The more eye-catching of the two was an enormous, animate growth of plant life swallowing a humanoid figure made of stone. Vines and creepers lashed to the surface of its core body, simulating muscles and fibers as it lumbered forward like a wild ape to peer down at the large stone tablet before them, a whittled length of wood in its grasp. The being towered over everyone else in the clearing, several head and shoulders above the rest as it gently reached forward, scratching a symbol of sorts into the dusty rock tabletop.

Willow found herself just as interested in the last member of their little group, however. A lean woman about her age was perched atop a seat of carved rock much like King, drumming fingers against a twisting wooden staff, the warm chocolate tone of her skin sitting somewhere between Willow’s own pale flesh and the rich pigment of her best friend, Gus Porter. Her lengthy braid of deep brown hair was tossed over one shoulder, resting on her foreign outfit of a loose silky shirt, completed by aged boots and traveling pants. The most mysterious portion of her appearance though, unless Willow’s poor eyesight was betraying her, happened to be the small _rounded_ ears peaking from beneath her curls.

Did – did Eda find a _human_ on the Boiling Isles? What was even going on here?

The probably-human was the first one to notice her standing at the edge of the woods, swatting backhandedly at King as she grabbed the group’s attention.

“Hey, guys. We’ve got company.”

The other three in the party turned in Willow’s direction – and oh, was it disconcerting to see the strange being without a face look directly at her. King was the first to acknowledge her, sounding mildly disinterested.

“Oh, hey Willow. This is the new roommate – Luz.” He swept a paw towards the sharp-eyed young woman sitting adjacent to him. “And her big rock monster buddy with no name. Who is _somehow_ really good at a game it _just_ learned today.”

“I’m starting to believe you’re just not as great as you think you are, _Kiiinnngg_.” Hooty smugly threw in his two snails, riling the smaller being up into a fit of fury as he turned to shriek at his fellow demon.

The girl – Luz – gestured for Willow to approach with a warm smile, tuning out the two bickering behind her. Somehow, she got the impression that the new Owl House tenant was already familiar with the pair’s antagonistic dynamic, and if the exasperated sagging of her enormous golem companion’s shoulders was any indication, the both of them had been dealing with this behavior all morning.

“Hi there, Miss Willow. The name’s Luz Noceda – a pleasure to meet you.”

Willow met the outstretched hand with her own, giving a firm shake as she returned the polite grin.

“Hello, Luz. I’m Willow Park, but just Willow is fine. I save the ‘Miss’ for Eda on bad days. Nice to make your acquaintance.”

“Ha ha, yeah, about that – it’s looking like that might be one of those days for Eda.” Luz gave a nervous chuckle, retracting her arm to palm her neck as she glanced away. “We kind of… destroyed half the front lawn _really_ early in the day and woke her up. It was, um, bad. Whoopsie.”

“…Ah.” That would explain why they were lounging in the woods, instead of on the property itself. “Well, that’s okay. I come on weekends to help Eda out with sales, so maybe making some money will help calm her down if she’s still upset. The Owl Lady really loves her profits.”

Luz’s head tilted in curiosity, a question in her eyes.

“Wait, really? Huh. Eda promised me room and board if I helped her out with that kind of stuff.” She hesitated, a worried expression on her face. “I’m not stealing your job, am I? I can talk to her if I am, I don’t mind doing something else to pay -”

Willow held up a hand to cut her off, slightly touched by the display of concern as she gave the other girl a small smile.

“Don’t worry about it. If Eda offered you that deal, then she probably just wants to have someone around more consistently to help out. She’ll let me know if we need to change up our arrangement, but it probably doesn’t matter too much anyway. I get paid in… lessons.”

“’Lessons?’ Like, magical lessons?” Luz perked up at the thought, helping to soothe the slight bump of anxiety Willow felt at the admission. “That’s pretty generous of her. What kinda stuff are you guys going over right now?”

“A… little bit of everything, really.” It was a serious risk admitting to exploring the full scope of magical ability, but if this girl was staying with a wanted criminal, it was likely that she wouldn’t be going to the authorities any time soon. “Eda’s one of the most powerful witches on the Isles, since she’s a wild witch that’s wanted by the Emperor.”

The other girl leaned back, eyebrows ascending at that nugget of information.

“Whoa, whoa, wait – she’s wanted by the _Emperor_ for being, what, a ‘wild’ witch? That got brought up yesterday, what does that even mean exactly?”

If Willow hadn’t already suspected the girl was from another world already, then that confusion would have blatantly confirmed it. Every citizen of the Boiling Isles knew of their Emperor’s wide-reaching decrees, lest they be caught on the wrong end of the law for the untamed usage of magic.

“A wild witch is somebody who doesn’t conform to coven limitations, and practices multiple schools of magic. It’s something everyone grows up knowing…” At this, Willow gave a pointed look at Luz’s unconcealed ears. “Unless of course, they’re from quite far away.”

The girl cupped her ears self-consciously, tracing their circular contours as she nodded in acceptance of the implied statement.

“Yeah, okay, you’ve got me. I’m not from around here at all. Eda kinda freaked out yesterday when she realized I was human, after she brought me back to the house.”

“Really? She’s never struck me as having a problem with different kinds of people, not when there’s all sorts out in Bonesborough.” That was somewhat odd, what had ruffled Eda’s feathers about Luz?

“Well, apparently humans can’t do magic.” The girl turned away from Willow, and – to her great surprise – made an upwards clawing motion, ripping a block of hardened soil from the ground before the young witch’s very eyes. “I’ve never had much of a problem with it. Would you like a seat?”

Wow. Not only had Eda found the only human on the Isles, but she was capable of _magic_ – and evidently enjoyed playing the smart-alecky witch.

Gus would absolutely _kill_ someone for an opportunity to meet this girl. Willow’s mind was still reeling from these new revelations as she sat on the conjured stool, absently taking in the sprawling checkerboard of a tabletop game that had been carved into the enormous slab of risen earth amidst the group. She supposed that answered the question of how such a thing had been accomplished so cleanly, though she would have bet money on the large nature demon squatting at the opposite end of the table to be the source of such a creation.

Speaking of which.

“Does your, um, human magic have something to do with the giant rock abomination? He’s quite impressive.”

The beast in question shifted towards her, its featureless head angled inquisitively as it shuffled closer to the pair. Willow tensed for a moment, not sure of its intentions, before giving an excited gasp as it presented its rocky skull for a touch. She ran her hand reverently over the stony contours of its body, eliciting a pleased rumble resembling the lowing of distant wild animals. Luz’s glowing smile returned as the two interacted, the girl leaning comfortably on her crafted table.

“Oh no, I didn’t create it or anything. It’s an elemental I bonded with a few years ago, born from the land itself – a nature spirit!”

“Whoa.” Willow’s awed voice wheezed out in a whisper. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Most of the wildlife around here is some kind of demon variant or another, not like this.”

Luz didn’t respond, leaving the plant witch to continue stroking the massive elemental’s skull as it basked in the affection it was receiving. Sadly, the peaceful mood was shattered by King and Hooty tuning back into the lull in the conversation, still hissing and spitting at one another as they made their presence known.

“Alright Luz, I command you to reset the board!” King declared imperiously, pointing skyward. “I must defend my honor as a grand tactician, and now we have another player anyway.”

Willow paused in her ministrations to the dozing elemental, leaning over the makeshift board to peer at their current round.

“Oh, this seems pretty familiar. I think I played it a bit when I was a witchling – what was it called again?”

“Tic-Tac-Toe?” Luz helpfully supplied.

“Yeah, that’s it. Sure, I’ll play a few games, unless – Hooty, is Eda up and moving yet?”

The house demon wriggled a bit in thought, checking in on the Owl Lady through his supernatural connection to the Owl House proper.

“Mmm… nope! Still snoring in her comfy nest.”

“Alrighty then.” Willow fished a solid looking twig from the forest floor as Luz made another wrenching movement with her hands, settling the loose soil of the table back into a roughly cut checkerboard pattern.

“May the best sentient being win!”

* * *

By the time Eda descended from her personal chambers into the sprawling central room of her home, the sun was at its peak for the day, and her houseguests had moved back inside, the wide kitchen windows thrown open to the warm breeze so that the elemental could poke its head inside with the other four lingering around the kitchen island while a hot lunch was prepared.

With Willow’s assistance, Luz had set upon making a hearty luncheon for the household as an apology for the earlier disturbance, the pair of young women chatting amiably as they worked together on a group meal. They had just finished up as the Owl Lady stumbled blearily onto a stool resting before the table, sleepily chewing through the plate of steaming pasta and vegetables slid before her, alongside a generous portion of bitter black coffee to get her up and running.

Once the older woman was looking a bit less like a freshly turned-over corpse, Luz launched into her rehearsed apology.

“I’m so sorry about this morning, Eda, with the lawn and waking you all up. I’m just really used to being up super early to get things done, and then I got really excited with my big buddy here, I just lost track of myself, and -”

The witch held up a hand, stalling the flow of contrite words, finishing off her cup of caffeine with a relieved sigh before levelling a slightly exasperated look at the young human.

“It’s okay, kid. Sorry for snapping at you earlier. I just don’t do well with mornings, especially without at least a mug’s worth of coffee or appleblood in my system to wake me up. But next time you want to throw down outside, do it a little further from the house – _without_ destroying the entire forest, preferably. I need that for camouflage.” Her head turned to face the nature spirit looming in through the opened window, squinting at the creature in wary curiosity.

“Speaking of Big Green, what exactly _is_ that thing? Never seen a demon like that around here before.”

“It’s an elemental,” Luz elaborated. “Normally they form when a lot of powerful magic floods the land in a big burst, and brings it to life. It’s really smart, too. I can’t speak its language because -”

The sounds of boulders clacking and rolling over swept through the first floor.

“Yeah, it sounds like that. It’s a person like you or me, just – different. We travelled a lot together back in the day, so I brought it in for a visit to catch up on old times. We got… separated, a while back, and I hadn’t seen it since.”

Eda gave a thoughtful hum, her gaze roaming over the motionless nature spirit as she thought.

“And how exactly did you ‘bring’ it in? I haven’t seen anything this big in the area for a while, and I would’ve noticed a hitchhiker this size when I brought you back to the house yesterday.”

“Er, that. Yeah.” Well, she had agreed to teach the witch her style of magic. This was going to probably take a lot of explaining. “Well, I… summoned it from its home. With a spell.”

“You ‘summoned’ it to the Owl House.” The Owl Lady sounded both thoroughly intrigued, and utterly skeptical.

“Yup. Summoned it.”

“…I have a feeling that this is going to be a bit more complicated than I was expecting.” Eda ran a hand down the bridge of her nose, brow furrowed in frustration. “Since that’s the case, I’ve got a better idea. One question: do you mind letting multiple people learn about your kind of magic?”

Willow perked up at the query, munching quietly on her meal, and Luz had a decent idea of what was being suggested.

“No, it’s not a big deal. If anything, I think it’s you who should be worried about using weird spells, since according to Willow you’re _wanted_ for illegal magic.” She tried to keep the accusatory tone light, but her irritation at the skimming of such an important fact about her host left Luz just a little rankled.

“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t expected you to figure that out on your own, kid, once you saw the Emperor’s personal coven bearing down on me. Regardless – I’ve got an idea rattling around. There’s a bunch of back ordered potions I whipped up recently that need to get distributed to my customers, which is what Willow here normally does on the weekend.”

The witch stood up, taking her dirty kitchenware to the sink as she continued speaking, scrubbing her plate clean under the watchful gaze of the nameless elemental.

“Why don’t you lighten the load for her, get out in town and drop that crap off. Hell, you know what? Take King too, and leave your massive pal here so there’s no trouble with the locals. Then, since I’m going easy on you today with half the workload, you can make up for it by giving us a crash course on how you do those crazy spells, like bringing a giant walking pile of dirt to life on my property.”

The freshly washed plate was dried with a quick circling of Eda’s wrist, sending a blast of heated air over its surface as she turned to face the table once more.

“That sound fair to you two?”

Willow gave Luz a hopeful look from behind her bookish glasses, the blue-haired witch clasping her hands before her in excitement. How could she say no to puppy eyes like that?

“Sure. I’m ready to go when you are, guys.”

“Hey, wait a minute, I can’t even do magic!” King protested loudly. “Why should I care about paying my way to learning how to swish a wand or whatever?”

“Because you live here, for practically _free_ , eating my food and complaining all day whenever I give you chores.” Eda gave the diminutive demon an unimpressed look. “Unless you’d prefer to do something equally productive, like give Hooty a bath? I’m sure he could use one after tussling with the rock monster this morning.”

“I’m _alwaayyysss_ up for a good scrubbing, Eda!” Came the disturbingly cheerful reply through the window. Luz had actually almost forgotten Hooty was peeking in, since he’d been so (blessedly) unobtrusive as they were putting together lunch.

“Never mind, I’ve suddenly rediscovered my love for physical labor. Let me go grab the potions!” King hurried from the kitchen, all but fleeing from the snaking form of the house demon as he crooned his excitement about bathing.

“Welp, that settles that.” Eda declared, dusting her hands with a smirk. “Let me whip up a list of addresses for my customers – King and Willow should be able to navigate it pretty well. And once you’re all back, we’ll see about some of that crazy magic I’ve been looking forward to.” She rubbed her palms together with avaricious glee at the thought.

King returned shortly after with a bulging rucksack of clinking glass vials, leading the way out the door once he’d dumped the bag onto the more capable form of Luz. The trio set off down the trail, waterskins slung over their shoulders for the long walk into town, the two young women making pleasant small-talk with each other as they went.

Eda retreated back within the house, sequestered away from the harsh beating of the midday sun, leaving the elemental to watch the retreating back of its beloved companion disappear into the depths of the tree line. All was peaceful for a moment, letting it settle in for rest on the baking ground – before Hooty reemerged from his mount, sidling up to the immobile spirit.

“Well big guy, looks like it’s just you and me for a while. Sorry about throwing you around earlier – Eda put me in charge of security. It’s probably the most important thing I do here!” The elemental rumbled soothingly at the bizarre demon, relaxing against the warm paneling of the magical house.

“Oh, I know what to do to pass the time! Do you want to hear all about how I keep Eda safe from nasty stuff, like tasty bugs and birds and coven members?”

The bellowing call of a wild herd of beasts comforting their young was the response.

“Great! Lemme tell you all about this one time Eda’s rude sister, Lilith, came by for a visit…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tend to go back repeatedly and alter certain phrases and wordings, so my apologies if any small details appear different on a potential second reading. Sometimes I only notice how off specific sentences are once I've gone through them a few times.
> 
> Thanks for everybody who's read, and I especially appreciate any feedback!


	6. Chapter 6

When all was said and done with the Bonesborough potion delivery, the trio returned to the isolated Owl House just as the warm illumination of early evening flooded the clearing, royal hues of color shooting through the atmosphere above.

Eda greeted them at the door, ushering her exhausted assistants inside to reveal a warm meal waiting for them, steam still wafting from the grilled cuts of meat and vegetables. Luz and her companions tucked in without comment, the miles-long walk leaving them with little desire to dawdle on putting away a hot dinner. They lounged in companiable silence, though Eda and Willow seemed to swell with eagerness as they carved through their plates, leaving Luz to sigh fondly at the blatant anticipation of being taught new magics. Honestly, she couldn’t complain – she clearly recalled her own buzzing excitement when the soothsayers of the Kor had proudly proclaimed that she held some latent talent for their mystic arts.

Luz was not terribly familiar with the intricacies of casting through the methodology of ‘spell circles’ the two witches used, but quietly hoped there wouldn’t be too much impediment to imparting what she knew onto the women. In all likelihood, they’d be struggling a lot more with actually connecting to the natural mana around them than anything else. She definitely had, in the past.

“Alright, I can tell you guys are eager to get started. Wanna get out there before we burn through all our daylight?” Luz hiked a thumb over her shoulder, gesturing to the front door. King wandered away from the table, his focus fading as post-meal drowsiness lulled him into a doze, flopping onto the couch bodily.

“Sounds good to me. Let’s get moving, green girl.” Eda slapped the bespectacled witch on the shoulder as she moved to the sink, scooping Willow’s empty plate up as she passed.

“I should probably warn you I’ve never really tried _teaching_ something like this before,” Luz mentioned cautiously, grabbing her staff from where it lay. “And I’m probably gonna have to go through some technical stuff before we really get going on the more fun bits.”

Eda waved a hand dismissively from the counter, not even bothering to turn around.

“Take your time, kid. We’ve got plenty to spare, so don’t sweat it – let’s just do things right the first time.”

She could work with that.

The overbearing heat of the summer was washing away while day turned to night, brilliant tendrils of approaching purple streaking the sky while Luz led her eager students outdoors. She took a quick detour to meet her slumbering elemental friend, giving the being a few friendly pats on the rocky skull, rousing it from inactivity.

“It was great seeing you again, buddy.” She muttered warmly against its rocky bulk. “Why don’t we get you home, make sure nobody tries to make a move on your stretch of jungle?”

One massive limb reached up, gently stroking her under the chin as chirping insects and lonely calls of fowl emanated from the spirit.

“Don’t worry about me,” Luz snagged its passing paw, giving a tender smile as she traced a comforting pattern against its stone limb. “I’ll make sure to summon you again soon – no more big stretches between visits. I swear.”

It sighed like whipping winds split against twisted mountain peaks, leaning into the planeswalker’s touch as she pressed their foreheads together with a hum.

“See you later, big guy. Stay safe, you hear?” Luz didn’t wait for a response, the inhuman brush of its mind against hers through their bond letting her know just how the elemental felt. Without ceremony the mage took a step back, snapping the standing thread of mana snarled up between herself and the spirit, watching its body crumble away into nothingness as its soul was returned to the untamed jungles of its homeland. A pang of regret ran through her at the loss of connection to her oldest friend, a melancholy tilt to her head as Luz took a moment to compose herself.

When the mage felt ready, she turned back to her prospective students, the pair of witches looking at the spot her companion had faded away with notable interest.

“Was wondering how you planned to get a gigantic boulder monster home, but I wasn’t expecting ‘vaporizing it’ to be the answer.” Eda’s statement came across as joking, but the raw thirst for knowledge in her expression belied her humor.

“It’ll be fine – sending things back doesn’t hurt them, normally.” Luz waved the concern away, drawing on her accumulated lore of spell mechanics. “I just cut the connection that was keeping my buddy anchored, and without that bond to hold it in place, the magic took it home.”

“Now _that’s_ some handy spellwork,” The Owl Lady whistled appreciatively. “All you’d need is somebody who can pull that off to drag a person where they gotta go, and kick ‘em back to where they came from once they’re done doing whatever. Can think of a few good applications for it…”

“Summoning’s a bit more complicated than that,” Luz noted slowly. “But yeah, being able to bring in different creatures is pretty useful. We’ll focus on doing that later, though – let’s start from the beginning. This is gonna be a lot, so let me know if you need me to go back over anything.”

Luz strode towards the cliffside, back towards the lapping sea far below as she took a seat in a patch of untrampled grass and moss. After a moment’s hesitation, the other women followed, seating themselves similarly as they waited for the lesson to begin.

“When I first started learning how to use magic,” Luz began evenly. “My teachers told me that there are five main types of mana in the world you can access, which is the energy produced by different kinds of biomes, based on the landmarks and what lives there. That magic is expressed in one of five colors: red magic coming from mountains, blue being generated by bodies of water and islands, green mana for forests, white spells coming out of plains, and then black mana from swamps.”

As she spoke, the young mage rested her palms facing up on her knees, directing the flow of ethereal potential into her body while the swaying trees and crashing waves filled Luz with their borrowed power.

“It’s easiest to reach for mana when you can connect with those lands, by visiting and learning about them. As for what colors you can use, it’s based more on personality than anything else. Take me for example!” She left her hands cupped loosely, gesturing up to her confident grin with index fingers. “I’m passionate about my goals and hobbies, so I mesh pretty well with red magic. And since I spend so much time with nature, green spells are doable for me, too.”

“What about the other three colors?” Willow questioned, eyes glittering behind her glasses with anticipation. “And why does you character affect what you can do?”

“Well, blue is based on learning and curiosity, which is something else I’ve been dabbling in. White magic has a lot to do with being orderly and in tune with other people, and black is more about being - uh, ambitious and self-serving. That’s a nice way to put it, yeah.”

Condensed mana was beginning to form in the planeswalker’s open hands, now, swirls of transparent energy coalescing into being as blue and green magics traveled through her open mind and body. The gentle whorls of the growing orbs caught her audience’s eyes, leaving them to stare as she drew further power into physical being.

“As to why who you are affects what’s easiest or best for you to learn, it’s because each kind of magic has a _theme_ to its spells. Red’s aggressive, powerful, letting you throw lots of fire and lightning around. White is a lot about buffing things up, or making them orderly. Black is all about gaining the upper hand by any means, and it tends to be a bit less… pretty, than some of the other colors.”

Luz paused as the spells in her palms finalized, a stable orb of raw green magic in one hand, and the fluid twirling of blue mana in the other. Eyeing her audience for a moment longer, she shuffled forward on her knees, depositing the ball of verdant emerald into Willow Park’s outstretched hands and giving the sapphire sphere to Eda as the older witch followed suit.

“Green mana has to do with nature and growth, with a lot of it based on connecting with and summoning critters to help you out. Blue on the other hand is a lot less physical, more about touching people’s minds and messing with reality in fun ways. Every color’s got its strengths and weaknesses, but that’s the gist of what you’ll probably see from them.”

Willow was cupping her orb of mana like a newborn child, gazing with wonder at its pulsing core. The Owl Lady however was much less gentle, lightly prodding and rolling the reactive ball of magic caught between her pale hands as she tested its limits. The sight brought a smile to Luz’s face – she’d guessed pretty well about who would take best to what.

“Now that’s really interesting and all,” The older witch began, eyes not leaving her captured blob of magic. “But how do we turn that into viable spells? Just – wing it, or something?”

Luz shrugged, folding her empty hands in her lap as she relaxed under the gentle ebb and flow of passing mana in the air around her.

“Sometimes you learn through tutors, who give you an idea of how to feel and shape things with your mind. Other times, you just go at it and think really hard about what you want to occur until you can force the magic to work with you. After I… had to leave my first set of teachers, I got a lot of it down through trial and error, or bugging people I met to help me test out new stuff. As far as I know, if you can dump power into the spell and have a decent idea of what you want, you can get just about anything to happen – and the more landmarks or terrains you can connect with, the more mana you can draw in.

“But first!”

Luz leapt to her feet, startling the witches from their enchantment with the gifted portions of power.

“We need to get you both acquainted with the sources of mana here, if you want to actually do anything. That little bit I gave you is to figure out what you should be thinking and feeling when you’re trying to connect to a big font of magic.”

She guided the younger witch away from their cliffside perch by the elbow, leaving Willow standing at the darkening tree line.

“Once you guys are hooked up to the mana here,” Luz announced loudly, standing between her two students. “We can start working on how to actually use it. But you gotta feel the land first, so – meditation time!”

It brought an easy grin to her face, hearing the twin groans of mild aggravation at that statement. Ah, how it felt to be the master this time, making her poor groveling learners go through the same tedious – if necessary – first steps she had once struggled with.

“Just give me a holler if you want some advice. I’ll be doing some stuff of my own over here!”

At that, Luz descended to her knees once more, eyes slipping closed as she aligned her breathing with the pulse of magical currents across the Isles.

She could feel the pathways magic took here with relative ease, the bursting potential of such a vibrant world overflowing into its people and surroundings. So much of her lower-level interactions with magic were done subconsciously, the formidable pull of a planeswalker’s instincts that she had a difficult time verbalizing, but Luz loved her casual relationship with the mana of the multiverse. She didn’t need to be some megalomaniac trying to rule the entirety of reality – her goals these days were simple, really.

Discover more about the worlds around her. Make friends, and try to hold onto them as best she could. Find a way home to her waiting mother.

Easy-peasy, at least in theory. But if she didn’t strive to make more connections, learn as much as she could – there was no hope of her ever returning to Earth.

With determination growing in her mind, Luz reached out to the wider Boiling Isles through her senses.

She could feel the fizzle of distant, untapped magics burning through the skies, the wild variety of terrains and people inhabiting the islands of reclaimed bone creating a kaleidoscope of color. It wasn’t always easy to detect new sources and ley lines of natural mana, but the connection to the forests and deep seas encasing the Isles that Luz had already established gave her some capacity to suss out those hidden nodules of magicka. Well beyond her reach grew upswells of tranquil white mana wafting off the plains, while sickly roots of greedy black magic reached out towards her wandering mind from further afar.

The closest source of untouched magic, however, came from the sweeping arch of the dead giant’s kneecap, where Luz had spent her first night beneath the stars. She hadn’t been focused on growing her power base at the time, too wrapped up in the wonder of exploring a new world and the burning frustration of remaining so far from Earth. But now with her mind unclouded, the grand peaks of imperious mountains bursting from the titanic leg bones called to her passionate emotions, tantalizing in their potential for harnessing the most ferocious aspects of nature itself.

Luz wouldn’t be able to properly connect to such an outlet at her current distance, being forced to rely on planes once traveled to fuel her red magics. However, maybe Eda could be convinced to make a trip up the slopes? The Owl Lady struck her as someone who might hold some interest in the raw destruction of flames and electricity.

On that note…

Her eyes reopened, letting her immersion in the latticework of passing magics fade from focus as Luz turned to see how the witches were fairing at connecting with nature. Both of them were seated before their elements of interest, Eda facing the sea stretching across the horizon while Willow gazed into the shadows of the evening forest. Both looked like they were a tad uncertain, expressions turning over in concentration and annoyance as they sought the sensations she had described to them, mana samples held tightly.

What could she do to help them focus on what she now understood instinctually…?

Feeling a flash of inspiration, Luz stood once more, walking back towards the house as she called out to the other present occupant.

“Hey, Hooty! Could you do me a quick favor?”

The house demon cracked his black eyes open, gazing down at the hopeful girl.

“Sure, Luz! Whatcha need? It looks like Eda and Willow are gonna pop something if they stare any harder at those balls you gave them.”

“Could you grab my pack from upstairs, the one I came in with? I have a few souvenirs that might make things easier for the ladies with their magic lessons.”

“Can do!” He singsonged, stretching from the frame of his door and ascending to the upper windows of the Owl House. “Be right back!”

In short order the bird creature returned with her pack, Luz throwing a quick “Thanks!” over her shoulder as she moved back to her students, rummaging through the satchel for some older sentimental stuff. She might’ve lost a good amount of the items she’d cared for over the years, but Luz had managed to retain some of the smaller trinkets that had once been gifted to her in an effort to assist magical lessons. Where were… aha!

She went to check on Eda first, the pale woman angrily squashing her gob of blue magic between her hands while aggravated mutters on the wind reached the girl’s ears.

“Any luck?” Luck questioned rhetorically, already having a decent feeling of what the answer would be.

“ _No_ ,” The Owl Lady growled, palming the sphere in her grasp like a recalcitrant crystal ball. “I keep getting – flashes of what it seemed like you meant earlier, but it won’t stop slipping away. Not quite sure what I’m doing wrong, kid.”

“Well…” She drew the single syllable out, fiddling with tool in hand. “For as weird as it might sound, thinking really hard at blue magic doesn’t always work. Sometimes you’ve gotta go with the flow, you know? Put your mind to something, and work the magic into it.” The planeswalker stooped down, placing a small knot of carved wooden blocks and tinkling metal chains in one of Eda’s hands.

“This is a puzzle toy that one of my tutors gave me to chew through while I was getting the hang of blue spells. Try to figure it out while you’re focusing on the mana in the air, see if you make any headway.”

“Hmm… alright, I guess.” The witch seemed somewhat hesitant to switch her focus to a perceived distraction, but relented shortly. “I’ll call you back over if I figure something out.”

Luz nodded at her statement, moving to the border of the tree line as the woman pondered her new outlet. Willow’s lesson would probably be a bit more straightforward, but that was blue mana for you: a pain in the butt to get a grasp of at first, but unbelievably useful once you knew how to get it going.

The younger witch was staring at the foliage surrounding the clearing, working the fingers of a free hand gently into the loose soil she sat on, eyes narrowed as she considered the plant life before her. She looked up from her pondering as Luz approached, giving her a small, if strained, smile.

“Sorry Luz, I’m having a real time of it trying to do what you said. It’s weird too,” Willow frowned, her frustration bubbling to the surface. “The magic I know best is working with plants, making them grow big and healthy. But I guess I’m so used to the structure of spell circles that this kinda spiritual stuff is just…” Her hand left the patch of ground she was worrying at, giving a vague gesture towards the treetops above.

“Yeah, I get it.” Luz gave a sympathetic nod, searching within her bags once more. “Nature’s supposed to be pretty easy to get, you know? So doing lots of goofy stuff like ‘meditating’ and ‘feeling’ the magic doesn’t come easily.” Her response elicited a giggle of amusement from the dark-haired witch, the girl’s bright green eyes tracking the mage’s movements curiously.

“But even if the method is different, that experience is important.” She found her item of interest within the sack, her tanned hand opening to reveal a small packet wrapped tightly with twine. “You know what you need to get the plant growing, how to make it larger and stronger without overdoing it. So, seeing as that’s the case…”

The seal on the parcel came apart with the flick of a finger, crumbles of soil from another world slipping free as Luz revealed her prize – a handful of small ovular seeds in a gooey case, nestled amongst rich fertilizer, the faint remnants of the enchantment preserving the new life fading into airborne wisps.

“Here’s what I want you to try, same as Eda: put your mind to getting something done. See if you can get these to sprout, but only with green mana, no cheating with the stuff you already know. I’ll even sweeten the deal!” Luz gave her a winning grin, depositing the prize in the girl’s open hand. “If you can get them growing, you can keep them. They’re a kind of fruit called tomatoes – I’m not too familiar with the things growing on the Boiling Isles, but they’re pretty tasty. Healthy, too.”

She didn’t mention that the variants of tomatoes from her homeworld were a tad different from the Ravnican crops that Willow was holding, but what the witch didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

“Really? Thank you, Luz.” The other girl gave the gift a surprised look, carefully inspecting the tiny seeds in the dying light. “I can’t say I’m familiar with that kind of plant, no. And they’re even edible? I’ll have to see if I can transplant them to my garden back home – maybe my fathers could use them for dinner once they get bigger.”

Willow seemed to hesitate a moment, her expression growing more guarded as she gave her magic tutor a carefully blank look.

“You know, it’s kind of weird. I know every plant on the next three islands in the chain, and I’ve never heard of something called ‘tomatoes.’ Tatos, maybe, but not this specific plant.” There was a glint in her eye as she continued, Luz’s gut giving a little tumble at the curiosity in her gaze. “And your clothes too – they’re pretty different from the stuff around here. A lot of witches like cloaks and all that, but it’s still pretty common for girls to wear dresses or leggings, you know. Not really actual pants, or separate shirts…” She gave a brief pause in her ruminations, before pushing forward with her questions.

“Where did you say you came from again? I know you’re _human_ , so you probably weren’t born on the Isles, but… where were you learning this kind of magic? You must’ve been staying somewhat close. I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of anybody coming from overseas in my lifetime.”

Luz stood upright abruptly, a nervous laugh barking from her chest as she quickly repacked her bags. This was exactly the kind of thing she was afraid of being asked, and there wasn’t much in the way of established etiquette for planeswalkers when it came to discussing the greater multiverse. It seemed that by general consensus, not mentioning you were from another world was the standing school of thought, with only a select few people being made aware of just how small they really were in the grand scheme of things.

History had long since proven that giving people ideas about traveling across the wider expanse of existence wasn’t always the best course of action. With that in mind Luz decided on deflection, and she would save this internal debate for another day.

“S-Sorry Willow, but you’re gonna need a few more magic lessons with me before you can unlock my mysterious backstory. Maybe take me out to dinner too, before you start grilling me.” Nope, _too_ far, shut up before you say something stupider.

Willow at least seemed to find her response amusing, giving a light giggle as she accepted the current lack of answers to her questions, shaking her head in good-natured defeat.

“Alright, alright, I get it. Sorry to disappoint, but I’ll probably have to take a pass on that date. Not really my style if you catch my drift. Guess I’ll have to figure out some other way to weasel the information out of you!” The melodramatic shimmy of her raised hands, complete with explosive sigh and rolling eyes, drew a more genuine fit of chuckles from her companion.

“Well… I sure am a sucker for info dumping on friends, you know.” Luz sprawled loosely on the grass, propped up with her hands as she gave Willow a shy little smile.

“That’s perfect, since I’m always in the market for new pals!” Willow replied, returning the grin. The pair fell into companiable silence once more, the plant witch focusing once again on her task of mastering understanding of the local forest.

Luz tracked her progress from the corner of her eye, noting how the other girl was slowly relaxing, the distraction of their conversation settling her nerves as she took in a deep breath. The girl held it quietly, waiting, waiting – and released the air in a whoosh, perfectly synchronized with the brush of the breeze rustling through the woods.

She didn’t dare interrupt now, full attention on the meditating woman before her as Willow’s breathing fell in step with the light gusts of air rattling the leaves above. Luz couldn’t tell who was influencing who – were the air currents and creaking branches directing the girl’s inhalation, or following the pattern she set? There was a sense of anticipation in the air, and so she held the silence, transferring her gaze to the seedlings cupped closely against Willow’s chest, the same as her steadily thrumming orb of mana.

It felt like hours that they sat, motionless, before a twitch of motion in the young witch’s palm caught Luz’s eye. To her delight, the plants were swelling with new, unnatural life, tender roots spreading from cracking pods into the sample of black dirt held in hand. The process was slow but steady, the trickle of green mana widening to a true flow as Luz’s companion willed the freshly spawned life to obey her will, the bare beginnings of stalks pointing skywards for the crops to taste their first glimpse of light.

“Willow.” The hushed awe of her voice must have alerted the girl to her success, waking her with a shocked blink from the trance of instinctive spellcasting, even as Willow glanced down at her clutched gift. She let out a gasp of shocked wonder at the sight.

“I – Luz, I _did_ it! I saw the entire forest for just a moment, every plant and animal, and it was just – so huge. So… different! I’ve never felt magic like that before.” She squealed with glee at her victory, barely even noticing the orb of condensed mana fading away in her hand as she ran gentle fingers over the sprouting buds of foreign plant life.

“Good job, Willow!” Luz crowed, joy swelling at her newfound friend’s success. “You did even better than I expected. And now that you’ve connected with the forest, every time afterwards will be a little easier and faster. Once you’ve got the basics down, you’ll be able to draw on more mana for bigger spells, too, from here and further out. Heck, it should also help you if you wanna try it with different colors of magic too.”

The plump witch caught her in a one-armed bear hug, the two celebrating her victory even as she voiced another question on her mind.

“What changed though? I wasn’t doing anything different, just – focusing on the sound of the woods, and making my breathing line up, and it all seemed to… click!”

“Magic can be…” Luz began, the gears of her mind turning over as a new theory came to the forefront. “Pretty obtuse to work with, at times. Some of its symbolic, or tied up in metaphors and themes. Green magic’s biggest thing is growth – growing stronger, and smarter, or even maybe… your connections to others?” She suggested, wiggling her eyebrows at the other girl with a smile.

Willow gave a hearty laugh at that, shaking her head disbelievingly even as she gazed with adoration at the sight of her success, sitting merrily in her palm.

Buoyed by the witch’s achievement, the pair moved away from the edge of the clearing, going to check on the older woman still sat before the cliffside as she fought with Luz’s puzzle knot in one hand.

“I heard a whole bunch of screaming and shouting over there,” Eda stated absentmindedly, attention on the challenge before her. “Nobody was getting eaten by a demon, right? I’m not really feeling like playing at animal control.”

“Eda, I did it!” Willow brandished her small sprouts towards her mentor, finally dragging her attention away from the toy. “I connected with the forest, and got Luz’s plants to _grow_! Watch.”

The girl focused her attention on the humming thread of mana still strung between her mind and the land itself, closing her eyes in concentration as the sprigs swelled upward, growing an extra couple of visible inches for the Owl Lady to inspect.

“Huh! Nice work, girly. Not a circle in sight either.” Eda gave her student a pleased smile, frustrations forgotten for the moment in pride at her apprentice’s accomplishment.

“Any progress on your front, Eda?” Luz prodded her, looking down at the partially solved puzzle in hand.

The Owl Lady groaned in resurgent irritation, giving the puzzle a scathing look.

“I have been fighting with this thing for the better part of an _hour_ now, and I’ve gotten all but one part of it figured out.” She pointed a lengthy nail at a particular segment of the object’s wooden core. “I can tell that there’s another layer inside of there, with some loose shifting pieces – but they don’t _budge_ , no matter what I do.”

“You’ve almost got it,” Luz commented encouragingly. “That was the big hang-up for me, too. I’ll give you a hint – how do you move something without touching it? That’s what my teacher told me to think about.”

Her head turned to track the rapidly disappearing sunlight on the horizon, the warm indigo of the skyline fading into deeper blacks and blues for the night.

“Why don’t we come back to this tomorrow, when it’s brighter? Blue’s the hardest kinda magic to figure out, but it’s got a lot of flexibility to make up for it. I can always rustle up another blob of mana for you to test in the future.”

The Owl Lady gave one last aggravated shake of the toy, before relenting with a put-upon sigh.

“Fine, I’ll sleep on it and try again tomorrow. Gotta prove to you kids that you can teach an old witch new tricks, after all.”

The trio packed up for the evening after Luz dispelled the concentration of magic, placing Willow’s healthy new growths into a set of old planters Eda had lying around from her pile of human refuse. Luz wished the girl a goodnight from the porch step as the Owl Lady flew them into the sky on her staff, wrangling a promise to visit when she was able for another hangout and magic session. She watched their shrinking forms for a moment before stepping back inside, wishing Hooty and King a good night as she made to retire.

A nice, lengthy shower after a hard day’s work just about put her to sleep on the spot. Fire magic may do a decent job of maintaining heat when you bathe in a bubbling river far from civilization, but it had nothing on decent plumbing. Hair and teeth brushed, sleeping clothes thrown on, and Luz was out like a light before she could even be certain Eda had returned safely.

The dreams came for her once again, details crisper and more defined than before.

_The Titan’s spine stretched into the infinite once more, but now it was teeming with uncanny life. Mosses and vines coated the crumbling vertebrae, while tremendous trees sprouted from unseen soil far below. Their branches reached towards the white void of the sky, swaying in a nonexistent breeze._

_There were no calls of animals, nor gusts of air to move the plants growing here. And yet they swayed and twisted in ethereal winds, utterly silent, a disturbing mockery of the forests found on the Boiling Isles. The fog was less encompassing now, tendrils of mist wrapping in and out of the foliage like a parody of something living._

_Luz continued onwards, as she had done before._

_When the titanic skull loomed above her, its surface seemed to writhe with organic growth. Creepers and more slick patches of lichens covered its lower half, a massive trunk not unlike the oakwoods of Earth swelling from the void of an eye socket._

_Luz fought the winds picking up around her, anchoring herself by hand to the bones as air blasted from the gaping chasm of the Titan’s mouth for a second time. She desperately tried to make out any sense of words or feelings from the gust, but the only sound she could detect was a slithering hint of whispers on the edge of detection, unknowable murmurs in alien voices growing by the moment._

_The planeswalker found herself tumbling to the invisible ground far below before she could make out any one call, the vague feeling of being seen by a gargantuan presence prickling her senses while the void soared up to meet her._


	7. Chapter 7

Before Luz had even really realized it, her first week on the Boiling Isles had come and gone like the wind.

The comfortably domestic environment of the boisterous Owl House was a far cry from her time spent around campfires and huddling under aging ruins on and off for years. It took a few nights for Luz to adjust to having no stars over her as she slept, especially considering the dreams that dogged her evenings.

The ones involving the Titan of the Boiling Isles had only happened twice, but more commonplace nightmares quickly moved to fill the void. She spent every other night waking in a cold sweat, feeling grasping limbs and ragged screams chasing her into miserable wakefulness. Luz did her best not to wake her housemates with her whimpering after that first morning, and so spent some time thumbing through some of Eda’s worn collection of novels whenever dark memories interrupted her rest.

It did little to shut the nightmares out, but she still felt better when she would return to slumber.

She’d thought herself long past such phantom reminders, but evidently her attempts at forming new friendships left things a bit more – raw, than she would have expected.

In the mornings following, the Owl Lady proved quite creative when it came to finding work around the property to get done between the four residents. There never seemed to be an end to the list of items to be sorted and cleaned, the rooms to be cleared of dust or clutter, and batches of potions to be delivered promptly for nearby customers. It remained an appreciated, if exhausting, distraction from lingering night terrors.

While her guests handled the variety of unending chores needed to keep the Owl House up and running, Eda herself spent multiple hours a day pondering the puzzle Luz had given her, utterly determined to parse out the secrets to accessing the tides of blue magic surrounding them. Luz often left her sitting by the seaside cliff, condensed mana in hand, as the older woman muttered and fretted over the stubborn puzzle box.

The day she finally solved her conundrum, Luz had stepped outside with ceramic plate and glass in hand, a sandwich prepared for the distracted witch while she pondered her target. She called out to the Owl Lady, coming to a stop shortly before the woman so as to not startle her host.

“Lunchtime, Eda!” The mage crooned sweetly. “I don’t know what this is from your fridge, but it looks like bologna so I went ahead and cut some up for you!”

“Thanks, kiddo. You can just drop it here.” Her hand waved flippantly towards the grassy patch of ground she was sat upon, eyes solely on the puzzle that had her enraptured.

Luz hesitated a moment before depositing the meal next to the pale woman, taking a seat on the far side of the plate.

“Still nothing?” She felt terrible that she wasn’t of anymore assistance. Sure, Luz had struggled with blue mana when she was getting started, but that had been her first attempt at harnessing the supernatural. Eda had been making use of magic her entire life, practically, and she knew it was incredibly frustrating to fight with something so similar yet so far from what one was familiar with.

“I’m close, I can feel it.” The Owl Lady’s optimism was undiminished, even in light of her irritation. “I’ve been waking up and tasting sea salt every day, and can tell right when the tide’s gonna hit in the morning. Something’s different today though, I just – know.”

Well, that was encouraging, if a bit strange. Normally one needed to be actively channeling magic to have so much sensory feedback from the locations that were supplying their power, and Luz had never felt anything like that from lands she conferred with if she were on a separate plane. Then again, Eda wielded magic with the ease and confidence of a decades-long veteran, spells as comparable to her as breathing. She knew the witch was reasonably powerful, so maybe the side-effects were just influencing her oddly?

“Ugh. All of this thinking’s got me starving. What’d you say you made for lunch?”

“Some kinda meat for sandwiches. Came in a cylinder, if that rings any bells?”

“Oh yeah, that cut of hellboar I picked up in town. Great.” To Luz’s surprise, the witch flicked her wrist blindly at her side, leaving the orb of mana to rest in her lap, and – the sandwich _floated_ into the air. Without a spell circle.

Eda took a quick bite, letting the entrée drop back to the plate with a smack as she hummed thoughtfully.

“Yum, is that some of those ‘tomatoes’ you gave Willow that I’m tasting? They’re pretty good, might have to ask her if I can get a trimming to grow myself.”

“Uh. Eda?”

The woman gave another dismissive twirl of her hand.

“Hold on a sec, kid. I think I’m having an epiphany.”

Luz could feel the crackle in the air now, mana flowing in and around the Owl Lady’s form, bending to her will as she squinted intensely at the core of the wooden puzzle knot.

“Can’t touch the inside with the locks, can’t knock it into place – gotta move it without my hands, or my spell circles. With my mind.” She lowered her free hand to the trinket, fingers pinched above it. “Shouldn’t be possible, but I can feel it. Just have to -” The tips of her fingers closed, and the toy slid cleanly apart, its internal lock opened wide. “…Change things so they fit.”

Eda sat there for a moment, motionless, before rocketing to her feet with a cheer, orb of captured mana fading away quietly. Luz followed her lead, giving her own little cry of joy as the witch twirled around, lambasting the puzzle that had kept her confuddled for so long.

“Ha! In your face, you damn inanimate object! Guess who’s the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles? That’s right – it’s the Owl Lady! A whole new type of magic, and I _still got it_.”

Luz had to laugh at the boundless enthusiasm, stifling her chuckles against a palm.

“Yeah, you sure did Eda. Though, uh, I think you might’ve had it when you lifted your sandwich to your mouth without your hands.”

The older woman ceased spinning, a look of disbelief on her face.

“What? No way I did that! It’s been an entire week, and I couldn’t get anything to – wait.” She swished a hand towards her ground-bound meal in a ‘come hither’ gesture, and the sandwich levitated to meet her. “Huh. I guess I did.” A vicious smile broke free. “Nice!”

The planeswalker caught Eda in a hug without warning, one which the woman returned after a moment’s pause, her ferocious grin softening into a warmer expression.

“Now that we finally got the baby stuff outta the way, _you_ can start teaching me all about the bigger, more fun spells.” The Owl Lady clenched her fist, bringing the laden kitchenware floating upwards, alongside the discarded puzzle knot pieces. “But first, let’s go show off to the boys!”

The rest of the day was spent happily exploring Eda’s newfound grasp on multiversal magics by lifting everything she owned at least once, and a few things she didn’t, such as King’s diminutive form. Hooty was happy to offer congratulations on her breakthrough considering he wasn’t being tossed liberally around by the witch, who had taken to telepathically juggling Owlbert and the King of Demons for a spell, leaving Luz rolling on the floor in hysterics at the level of distress coming from the small pair.

They celebrated that night with an enormous dinner, in which the Owl Lady insisted on handling every cooking implement with her mind. There were a few near misses in regards to grease fires and boiling water, but all in all the spirits of the household remained high as they chowed down on Eda’s supper offerings.

* * *

The approach of the following weekend brought with it a return of Willow Park, who was ecstatic at the success her mentor had found in attempting foreign spells, the two babbling excitedly over the potential utility of their respective magical breakthroughs. The plant witch had even been kind enough to return with a potable sample of tomato seedlings for Eda to begin growing, the magically enforced growth of the plants a stunning success on her part. Apparently, witches had something akin to phones called ‘scrolls,’ and the Owl Lady had thought to ask ahead of time for some clippings. At any rate, she had already moved onto experimenting with other samples she was cultivating in her family’s greenhouse, and her fathers thoroughly enjoyed the addition to the family diet.

However, the main event of her visit was not the report from home, or the work that needed doing once she was present. Instead, the major milestone of Willow coming to the Owl House that week was the guest she had brought with her, one Gus Porter – the youngest member of his graduating class, illusionist extraordinaire, son of the Isles’ most famous reporter, and a fanatic of all things relating to humans.

When Luz first spoke with the diminutive boy, he had nearly keeled over on the spot from excitement. Hooty had let the pair in, and the short male witch – with his close-cropped hair and richly dark skin tone – made for quite the interesting sight himself, though he appeared utterly enthralled with Luz’s presence in the kitchen.

“Oh. My. _Titan._ You weren’t kidding Willow.” His eyes were sparkling with joy, hands clasped before him. “An actual, living _human_ here, on the Boiling Isles! Somebody pinch me, I don’t think I can take this cruel joke anymore if I’m dreaming.”

Willow gave a snort, smacking him on the shoulder blade as she walked into the Owl House, placing her offering of young tomato plants on the counter for Eda’s review.

“Stop being so dramatic, Gus.” She turned to the bemused mage, giving her an apologetically amused smile. “He used to be the head and founder of our high school’s Human Appreciation Society. They’d have meetings discussing all sorts of stuff about your world and people, so… get ready for a lot of questions. Most of what he knows is probably wrong, anyway.”

“Wuh – hey! I’ll have you know I am the most prolific collector of human relics on the _Isles_ , thank you, and that my knowledge even rivals that of the Owl Lady. Not only that, but I’m one of her best customers!” Gus swelled with pride at his boast, gesturing to the idling witch who was currently inspecting her newly received crops.

“You do buy a whole lot of… stuff from my stand kid, I’ll give you that.” Eda turned the small pots of soil over, inspecting their occupants as she gave a carefully nonchalant response. “Gotta wonder how much of that is your parents’ money, though. D’you even have a job?”

“That is… entirely irrelevant and I am not going to dignify it with a response.” Gus quailed before the unimpressed look directed his way. “Um, Miss powerful Owl Lady. Ma’am.”

Eda snorted, shaking her head in amusement as she placed her spoils gently back on the countertop.

“Whatever floats your boat, shorty. Why don’t you and Luz take this conversation to the living room while Willow and I talk shop? Got a few things to go over for the day.”

The pair retired to the sitting room, taking up residence on the overstuffed sofa as the two witches discussed some item of business in lows voices on the far side of the kitchen. Luz had little hope of actually hearing anything being said, however, as Gus was now excitedly talking her ear off.

Evidently the Boiling Isles education regarding humanity was, to put simply, incredibly poor. Misconceptions were rife in every subject from biology to culture and technology. The young witch had boundless heaps of questions about Luz’s physicality and knowledge of random household items, making her giggle at the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

“So humans _don’t_ have gills? Or an inner row of fangs for consuming prey?”

“I’m… pretty sure you’re thinking of sharks, buddy. I can’t naturally breathe underwater, and my teeth are just as flat and single-row as yours are, for the most part.”

“Okay, okay. So no flight either?”

“Ha ha, nope.”

“Dang! How do you get around then without flying or swimming, do you just… walk everywhere? Mattholomule once told me that humans roam around on top of giant metal mounts, but that sounded like a load of phooey.”

“He probably meant cars. They’re similar to carriages made of metal, and are powered by devices called ‘engines.’ It burns a liquid fuel inside, which produces a lot of force to spin the wheels – at least, that’s a really basic understanding of it. I’m not a mechanic, sorry.”

“That’s still really fascinating! Now, how about those things I’ve heard called ‘toasters?’ Are they projectile weapons? I think Eda was actually selling some once!”

The discussion went on in a similar vein for minutes, and then into hours, the other two magic users bustling about as Gus pelted Luz with endless queries. She offered to assist them at one point, only to be gently rebuffed, with Eda telling her to help Mr. Porter work his curiosity from his system. It wasn’t that she minded the friendly banter, but it made her feel uneasy, skimping a workday to play Twenty Questions on steroids while her companions were engaged in labor.

Eventually, however, the topic turned to Luz’s magical skills, and how they fell outside the expectations of the average witch due to her species. She gave Gus a short rundown on the information she had previously shared with Eda and Willow, speaking of the colors of mana and how their use was generally influenced by a person’s character. The boy soaked up her knowledge like an eager sponge, surprising her with insightful commentary about the topic, considering his prior questions had simply been a stream of consciousness.

However, Luz had developed some curiosity of her own.

“If witches don’t use mana as far as you understand it,” She began slowly. “Then how do you cast spells? And why does it have to be with a spell circle, of all things?”

Gus perked up, delighted to share some of his own expertise.

“Well, witches have an organ attached to our hearts known as a ‘bile sac.’ It pumps magical essence through our bodies, and works kinda like a person’s general stamina for doing intensive things. We can use it up and strain ourselves if we get overworked from casting lots of spells, and generally taking naps and eating healthy is required to keep it in shape.” He paused in his lengthy explanation, a hand cupping his chin as he considered something. “If humans don’t have anything like that, it would explain why they can’t use magic as witches know it. And because the spells _you_ know are more of a mental thing that interacts with the environment, that’d be why you can cast them without a circle.

“As for _why_ we use spell circles?” Gus shrugged helplessly. “I dunno! It’s always been like that, even before the coven system, as far as I know.”

“Not – _huff_ – entirely true, kiddo.” Eda interjected, dropping a heavy wooden crate of discarded human memorabilia on the nearby countertop. “Before the Savage Ages, records say witches used to make do with glyphs and runes to cast the same spells, which didn’t take a bile sac. Not sure when things got changed up there, but if I had to make a bet, I’d say those glyphs probably ran off of the mana that Luz taught us about. And, without a reason to keep up with all that…”

“It fell out of favor for the easier form, which is why my magic is different.” Luz completed for her, nodding slowly as she mulled over this new information.

“Wow, this is amazing.” Gus bounced up and down in joy, shaking the entire couch in his excitement. “Meeting a human, and getting to learn all about your culture, and on top of that you rediscovered lost, ancient magics. That is _so cool_!”

Luz had to chuckle at the unbridled awe in his voice. Is this what having a younger brother was like?

“There’s one last thing that’s been bugging me, though,” He continued inquisitively, looking over the mage. “If you’re a human, and you know all of this forgotten magical lore and the like, where did you come from?”

She froze on the couch, her smile growing strained at the question.

“I know you’re from the Human Realm as, like, your home world,” Gus clarified, threading his fingers together as he leaned forward. “But humans still don’t know any magic like that, as far as we’re aware. And neither do the Boiling Isles, apparently! So where’d you go that taught you all this cool stuff? Somewhere on the islands that nobody knows about?”

“How, uh, do you know I didn’t just – find out on my own?” Luz couldn’t help the poorly-phrased response, panicking at being reminded of her internal debate from earlier in the week. She still hadn’t reached a conclusion, but outright lying wasn’t looking very attractive, especially since she _liked_ her new companions, and had to live with any falsities she might sell them…

The two missed Eda and Willow sharing a quiet look in the kitchen, even as they stayed silent for the moment.

“Nooot very likely, I think.” Gus gave her a concerned look, his head tilting to the side. “I didn’t mean to make you upset, Luz. Sorry about that. It’s just hard to believe you found all of this without any help, even if you are a decent spellcaster…”

“Frankly, I’ve been thinking the same thing.” Eda butted back into the conversation, dusting her hands off as she gave Luz an unreadable look. “Listen, kid – I definitely don’t mind you staying here. And I know there’s some things I’m not gonna bug you about right away. But you’ve gotta admit, your whole situation is pretty weird, and I think we’d all love to hear where you were getting up to this kinda crap without – being found and hauled off to jail.”

The Owl Lady paused for a moment, looking as if she wanted to say something different, before giving herself a shake and continuing on.

“If you’re worried about us ratting you out to the Emperor? I wouldn’t be. Nobody in this house is a snitch, and we all stand to get screwed just as much as you if we go running our mouths in front of the wrong people.”

“You don’t have to tell us if you’re really uncomfortable with it, Luz.” Willow added softly, ignoring the flat look sent her way by the Owl Lady. “But… we’re just really curious, y’know? It’s all so strange and exciting, learning about this new – er, old – kind of magic.”

It would be… nice, to have friends she could confide herself in. It was a lonely life sometimes, hopping between worlds without telling anybody the full scope of your abilities and the things you’d done, only occasionally finding another planeswalker to chat with. On top of that, half the ones she’d met or known of were _nuts_ , or just crazy powerful, neither of which were things Luz wanted to tussle with.

“The truth is…” Maybe it was time to take a chance. They might even be able to help her in the quest for home. “Honestly, I don’t think you guys would believe it. It’s a little fantastical.”

“Pfft! Come on, Luz.” Eda blew air out her mouth disbelievingly, stretching her arms over her head to work out the kinks from lifting heavy boxes. “Just spit it out already, if you’re gonna tell us.”

“Okay, then.”

Here goes.

“I’m what’s known as a planeswalker – somebody who was born with the ability to travel between different worlds in the multiverse at will. There’s a lot more than just the Demon and Human Realms – I’ve traveled to at least a dozen over the years, and every single one of them has had different sentient peoples on them, _including_ humans. My magic is the kind used everywhere else in reality, and it’s your spell circles that are new to me.” She took a deep breath, steadying herself at the confession, and awaiting her companions’ reaction.

Complete silence reigned over the room, before Eda let out a snort of laughter, making Luz pout in frustration at her disbelief.

“Alright kid, you had me going for a minute, there.” Mirth was clear in the Owl Lady’s expression, even as she folded her arms and leaned against the kitchen counter. “I’ve gotta give you credit for the story; I wasn’t expecting that one. But not once have I ever heard that there are more worlds like that, somewhere out in space or whatever. Now really, who taught you all that stuff?”

“It’s _true_ , Eda.” Luz growled, leaping to her feet. Did they really not believe her? That was something she hadn’t imagined. “And I’ve got plenty of proof. Hooty!”

“Hiya, Luz!” The house demon snaked in through the window, giving the girl a cheerful greeting. “What can I do ya for?”

“Could you grab my bag, the same one as last time?”

“Yuppers!”

After taking a moment for retrieval, the extensive creature spat out her bag’s strap, leaving her to root through the satchel in search of her few personal mementos.

A firm drop, down onto the stained coffee table.

“My sketchbook that I’ve drawn pictures of every kind of people I’ve encountered in, and a lot of major landmarks. Enchanted to protect against wear and tear.” Slap. “A handful of mana containers and sources I _know_ witches can’t make, since you didn’t even know what I was talking about until this week.” Smack. “A bit of crystal found only in Zendikar’s cave systems, which I’ve never seen anywhere else.” Slam. “And on top of that, a booklet on languages I’ve had to make _myself_ because not everybody speaks English, which is apparently really common across space and time for some reason.”

The mage stood back up, taking in the dumbfounded expressions on her friends’ faces as she huffed angrily, counting off her fingertips.

“Plus, since I’ve gotten here, you’ve seen me: wear foreign clothes, trade you foreign _money_ when Willow said no one’s come overseas in decades, use magic that’s entirely new by your reckoning, and summon two creatures from separate worlds that you didn’t even recognize. Because they aren’t found on this entire _planet_.” She dropped back onto the sofa, aggravated energy exhausted and leaving her feeling spent.

Gus was the first to break the frozen atmosphere following her rant, gently scooping the binder of drawings off the table and giving them a careful look-over, thumbing through the handstitched pages.

“These are really impressive, Luz.” He stated softly, eyes glued to the drawings of distant lands. He pointed down at one, fingering the figures sketched out on rough graphite. “What kind of person is this? I’ve never seen anyone like that, around here.”

She leaned over to view the page he was examining, taking a moment to recall where she had completed that image.

“That’s a merfolk I met on this crazy world called Eldraine. Everything there was straight out of a fantasy novel, and the people even had to contend with stuff like curses that made them act out or live through tropes from that genre. It was a pretty dangerous place – I didn’t stay too long.” She took a moment to retrieve the book from Gus, pointing out some of the smaller details from her work.

“See those markings? That means she was a dark undine, one of the really aggressive, man-eater types. I actually only got her to pose for this drawing ‘cuz I saved her from some hunters – and she only stuck around when I started telling her a bunch of old myths I knew as a kid. They love learning anything they can.”

Gus uttered a small sound of amazement at the explanation, grabbing the booklet once more to continue perusing her collection. The next to speak was Willow, her tone low and thoughtful.

“I thought it was really strange you’d found me any seeds I didn’t recognize, Luz.” Her hand has at her chin, eyes pointed upwards in remembrance of the prior magic lesson. “Hexside has a really good curriculum for Plant Coven work, and they quizzed us constantly on identifying species of plants so we could use or avoid them.”

The girl directed a sideways glance at the small, hearty crops she had brought for her mentor.

“We’ve got some pretty similar things that are edible, but nothing exactly matches up. And unless you somehow brought an extinct strain of something back to life…” She took a deep breath. “Then I believe you about there being other worlds – and wow, isn’t that a lot to take in.”

Luz gave a pointed look at the silent Owl Lady, eyebrows raised in question, and the woman sighed.

“Okay, you’re starting to convince me that maybe there’s something to this whole ‘multiverse’ thing, but I still think there’s ways you could fake all of this stuff. ‘Specially if you were dedicated to the story. _But_ -” She held up a slender hand, forestalling Luz’s indignant protest. “I’ve got a method to really prove whatever you’re saying, if you wanna try it.”

Luz couldn’t help rolling her eyes.

“I’d hope I didn’t have to just to convince you, but sure. What’ve you got in mind?”

Eda strode to the center of the room, drawing a sizable circle of magic in midair that generated a coruscating ring of energy, floating over the coffee table.

“This spell will cast an illusion based on your memories of a place, person or item by skimming your mind when you stick your hand into it. Just say whatever it is aloud, and it’ll show everybody what you were talking about. Now -” The witch placed her own limb within the ring, looking to Luz. “Give me the name of a world that you know of, and I’ll say it aloud. We shouldn’t see any changes, since I’ve never been there, and as far as I know it isn’t even real.”

“…Fine. Try ‘Ravnica.’”

“Ravnica!” Eda parroted confidently, the ring of pulsing magic bobbing for a moment – only to return to its original position, with no illusion cast.

“Alright.” She retracted her hand. “Now your turn.”

Luz stood from her perch, taking a step towards the spell.

“Here goes…” Her arm passed through easily, and she let out an anxious breath. “Show me the world of _Zendikar_.”

The spell shrank to enclose her tanned wrist, a burst of magic emitting from its center, sweeping across the room to unveil a location completely alien to the Boiling Isles in every way.

The three witches gasped in surprise, varying exclamations of shock filling the air as they stumbled back from the cliffside illusion cast onto the floor, the furniture and miscellaneous objects fading away – but Luz could only smile, breathing the fresh scents of jungles and roaring rapids in with joy.

It almost felt like home.

The illusion was impressively detailed, clearly picking up on items that she would have only subconsciously registered. Her boots crunched through the pulverized grit of the rocky cliffside they appeared to stand on, the living room transmogrified into a floating stone island only a few dozen feet in width. It was one of many mobile landmasses, a drop in the sea of flying precipices twirling slowly in the altered gravity of Zendikar.

Waterfalls the width of the house roared as they fell away into jungle miles beneath the party, an intricate dance of flying waterways borne atop the moving islands slopping over the edge of dozens of skyscapes, offset only by the field of arcane hedrons drifting betwixt the grinding mobile outcroppings. Intricate carvings in an ancient script scrawled over their surfaces, making them pulse with magics heavy enough to press down on Luz’s stunned audience, not unlike the pressure felt deep beneath the seas.

And the noise – she didn’t realize how much she’d missed the sounds of the living, breathing world until only silence had filled its space.

Stone ground and tumbled loudly throughout the sky as islands slammed into one another, shearing off immense slivers of rock to pitch down into the lush gorge beneath. Gushing rapids thundered dully out of sight, above and below. Countless animals screamed and cawed at one another, a cacophony of life filling the air as great beasts lumbered across skylanes, and clouds of wheeling jungle fowl dipped and dived between floating mountains.

It was so much to digest – so very alive, it made Luz feel like she could take on the entire world. She basked in the breaking morning sun that ripped through the canopy of expansive jungle, the phantasmal warmth on her skin utterly delectable.

Just as Luz remembered, before the happy times came to a close. She really had been missing this experience.

“Holy shit,” Eda breathed from behind her, making Luz turn to look at her huddled companions. They seemed utterly enraptured at the view around them, drinking in every detail they could of the alien world, no small amount of fear warring with curiosity.

The Owl Lady looked totally poleaxed, dazed by the illusion cast into her living room.

“ _This_ is what I was talking about – and here’s Zendikar, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in the entire multiverse.” Her comment was intentionally cheeky, but her overly bright expression softened in light of the true wonder on her housemates’ faces. “The whole plane is alive, filled with jungles and animals and elementals, spawned from the giant storm at its center: the Roil.”

She kneeled at the edge of the island they stood one, one hand running reverently through the crushed rock cushioning their feet.

“I spent a year or so here, learning how to live in the rainforests and navigate all of the huge ravines and mountains. Actually, let me try something…” She stood once more, as a thought occurred to her – something to truly wow her tagalongs. Luz’s eyes slipped shut, a vision rippling to life in her mind’s eye. There was one more detail she’d missed so dearly of her temporary sanctuary from the multiverse.

The scene shifted, flowing into a morass of colors as the enchantment reacted to her thoughts. The quartet found their view of the wider jungles obscured, a thick brush of jungle foliage surrounding their position, barring the artificial clearing dominating the center of Luz’s projected memory.

“These guys were my first friends I found after… leaving home. They helped me get back on my feet, showed me the ropes so I didn’t get eaten by any giant predators or squished by floating rocks.”

A bustling camp was spread throughout the jungle floor, rawhide lean-tos and larger tents filling the cleared path. The trappings of a simplistic life on the move were easily visible, bone and metal molded into tools for hunting or climbing, leather garb and sewn packs scattered about. The most captivating detail, however, were the people occupying the encampment.

The Kor were tall and lean, much greater in height than the average human or witch. They swayed gracefully like reeds before a windstorm, every motion calm and conserved as the nomads worked throughout their mobile village. Each of them was engaged in some mundane necessity, sweat glistening on their albino flesh as pointed ears swiveled back and forth, the sounds of laughter and conversation rumbling lowly amongst the smoking fire pits.

It was like seeing a ghost come tearing through a wall right for her, but Luz batted the thought away with a spike of anxious nerves, her breath hitching. She was fine, everything was fine, they would simply explore the camp and leave. Nothing more was necessary to make her point.

Eda looked rather spooked herself, her hand passing through the phantom of a washerwoman as the illusion strode by her.

“They…” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “I look just like them. Is – is there some kind of connection…?”

“Not as far as I know,” Luz laid a steadying hand on the witch’s shoulder, helping ground them both in reality. “The Kor are fairly exclusive to this plane, though I heard some rumors from other ‘walkers that you could find them in some secluded places.”

“This is amazing, Luz,” Gus breathed, darting between tents to peer inside at the primitive footprint of a foreign people. “You lived in this village with them? What was that like?”

“Well, it was a lot of work, I can tell you that much.” Luz laughed, relieved for the distraction of his and Willow’s continued amazement as they wandered around the phantom camp. “Most of the time though, I was -”

A voice like a whip cut through their conversation.

“Training time, girl. On the double!”

Every observer’s eye turned about to track a single woman; her warrior’s garb unmistakable. Thick leather padding coated her lithe form, belying the packed musculature hidden beneath as she hefted a pair of poles on one shoulder, brow furrowed over her milky white eyes while she looked towards the center of camp.

“ _Si, si,_ sorry Chieftess. I’m coming!”

The ghost of Luz’s past emerged from the crowded enclosure, ducking awkwardly around tribesmen as she skidded to a stop, panting, before her adoptive Chief.

Her phantom was frozen eternally at the fourteen years of age she’d been when her spark ignited almost half a decade ago, dragging Luz from Earth and straight into the belly of the jungle beast. She still retained the clothes she’d arrived in, now being worn ragged by the passage of time and sloppily stitched back into serviceability. The young Luz Noceda had none of the poise or muscle of her current self, being rather wimpy by most standards – but the ghost of the teen still stood gamely at attention, awaiting her orders.

“Sparring, today. With me.” The camp leader sounded like she was gargling stones, the bulging edge of a healing scar snaking up her collarbone and into view.

“Yeesss, Chieftess.” The phantom sighed, resigning herself to another bout of being battered into the dirt by her merciless instructor. Without another word, the pair set off for the edge of the village, Luz taking one of the carved wooden branches from her mentor as they disappeared from sight.

It felt as it were only yesterday that she’d first picked up a weapon in self-defense. Oh, how time had flown.

“Heh. You made a pretty cute kid, back in the day.” The Owl Lady still sounded shaken, but she was clearly trying to recover her previous stride. One hand carded through her impressive mane of silvery locks as she gave an exhausted sigh.

“I gotta apologize, Luz. I didn’t – this is just so _much_.” Her hands gave a quick flap towards the illusion cast about them, an awed look in Eda’s eye. “Sorry for laughing, earlier. And – sorry for bullying you into showing us. I should’ve… taken your word for what it was.” She gave the immersive spell another scan. “Gotta admit that it’s beautiful, though.”

“It’s okay, Eda. I get it.” The human mage wrapped her arm around the witch’s shoulders, giving her a quick squeeze. “It’s pretty crazy, even to me. And I’ve been to a lot of different planes, at this point.”

The quiet moment was shattered as Willow and Gus returned from their exploration, still with starstruck expressions in place.

“This place is gorgeous, Luz.” Willow whispered, running a hand down the mossy trunk of a curling tree. “There’s just so much life and variation – I never thought a jungle would look like this.”

“Yeah!” Gus added, practically vibrating in excitement. “And not only that, but this spell? It’s _incredible._ There’s so much detail here that it has to be doing something funky to fill in the blanks. There’s no way you would have remember every little bit of this!”

“I could spend my entire life just cataloguing all the plants and their properties here,” Willow sighed dreamily, a faraway look on her face. “That’s not even taking into account all of the people and wildlife. The stories they could tell…”

“I _know,_ right?” Gus buzzed to and fro still, investigating the nomadic camp with a ravenous expression. “How’d you ever make the decision to leave, Luz? I woulda spent years here just – learning everything!”

The one thing she didn’t want to answer, and they just had to bring it up.

She tensed at the question, drawing a raised eyebrow from the Owl Lady, who clearly felt the tightening of her grip from their one-sided embrace.

“That – it’s a long story. Not worth telling right now.” Would the spell Eda cast read her thoughts, make them see her fears against her will? _Mierda._ Luz needed to get a grip. “I’ll let you guys know later. Okay?”

She did a poor job of deceiving the pair of witches, however, as they gave her a look of growing concern.

“Luz? Did something happen that… forced you to leave?” Willow asked slowly, cautiously. Her companion did not show any such restraint.

“What d’you mean, Willow?” Gus gasped, a hand flying to his mouth in wide-eyed surprise. “Oh no! Did you break some ancient taboo, and the tribe you were with had to banish you forever?”

Luz was feeling her calm slipping under their questioning. There was only so much _not_ -thinking about a topic she could do before the dam burst, and being back here – even if only in spirit – was thoroughly rattling the clamp she kept on her darker memories. The nightmares had already been picking at the scar, and now… she hadn’t realized how badly this would affect her. Eda was looking increasingly uncomfortable under her white-knuckled grasp, indecision visibly growing.

Hadn’t she moved on from this, already? They’d been gone for years now. She couldn’t just – fall apart at the drop of a hat, anymore. Didn’t that day haunt her enough?

“Gus! That’s insensitive,” The bespectacled witch scolded her friend, wagging a finger in his direction. “Leave her alone – I’m sure she has her reasons not to tell us.”

“Sorry, sorry!” The boy relented, throwing his hands up in submission. “It’s just – I can’t ever imagine leaving a place like this. There’s so much to learn from one world, but _all_ of them? An infinite amount? That’s crazy! It’s _huge_! And the people here seem so lively and interesting…”

Yes, the people. The Kor nomads, to name a few that Luz had encountered on her journeys. So open and kind, even to a complete stranger of another race, stranded in the jungle. A tight-knit community, closer than blood and just as protective of it.

Loving. Supportive. Almost-home.

Was she starting to hyperventilate? Her chest was – too tight. Luz might’ve been feeling the beginnings of a panic attack coming on. She hadn’t experienced one of those since she’d first learned how to strike to kill, lest she wind up dead herself. Which was the problem, really, seeing as that had happened here on that horrible night, when – when she –

Shadows were lengthening, a shift towards one fateful evening scene as the enchantment responded to her spiraling thoughts, akin to a flock of carrion birds.

She’d never been able to force herself to return after it all. Just avoided the world she’d grown to adore like it was plagued. Broken.

“Kid, look at me. Look.” Eda was holding her cheeks in both hands – they were crouching? When did they get there? “You’ve gotta calm down. I don’t know where the spell’s gonna take us, but this – I don’t think it’s something you’re gonna want to see, you have to stop and breathe -”

Couldn’t even warn anybody else what had happened. Didn’t even try. She just… ran. A coward to the end.

“Eda, is she okay? Everything’s changing now, the illusion…”

A blaring call like a distant foghorn, so immeasurably loud that it rattled the party’s very bones, ripped through the jungle valley and shocked them into pale-faced silence. Luz could have sworn that her heart had stopped beating, right then and there.

A moment of deceptive peace filled the clearing as the illusion of drowsy nomads stumbled from their tents, fear and confusion on their faces while they scrambled for weapons. The jungle night was far too still for miles around.

The Swarm descended upon the forest only seconds later.

A tide of chittering, slithering chitin fell upon the world in a blast, tearing trees and stone asunder with the force of its passing. The mindless servant-husks of the Eldrazi horde poured into the gaps within the forest, shredding everything alive in their path. The mind-boggling symmetry of the Titan Kozilek’s brood cut through dense foliage like a sharpened knife through meat, erasing the vibrancy of Zendikar from existence as plant matter vaporized into dust. They made way for their foul cousins spawned from the unknowable intelligence of Ulamog, ravenous musclebound hulks crushing the resistance from the scattered, fleeing wildlife and elementals as they passed, grinding the world about them into shattered paste.

It was not long before they reached the Kor encampment.

The cowering observers could only watch in horror as the pale fairfolk were butchered in droves, forced before the wave of alien might as if wheat before an implacable thresher. Screams and gurgles from the fighting, dying warriors echoed through the air, offset by the chilling shrieks and ululating whistles of their attackers. The temporary shelters of the village were torn asunder, providing no respite for the cowering citizens hidden within, their terror high and reedy in the crashing night air.

Luz’s throat was killing her. She was probably screaming herself hoarse, but you couldn’t tell over the din. She scrabbled at the shackle of the spell at her wrist, desperate to end the nightmare unfolding before them.

The worst of things were yet to come, but this damned _maldicion_ seemed bound and determined to see her worst recollections ripped to the fore.

The illusion shifted once again, focused on the crush of fleeing tribespeople flooding between their trampled tents, leaving behind two stooped figures in the wild firelight. A younger Luz was sobbing hopelessly as she held a cloth slick with spilled life against the Kor Chieftess’ side, clutching her own gifted staff like a lifeline, with the pale woman grasping her by the torn hoodie.

“Run, you stupid girl,” She rasped, pulling herself from the ground with the aid of her spear, out of Luz’s grip. “You can’t win this. _I_ can’t win this. Someone must escape – to let people know what approaches.”

“But I – I can’t leave you! What about tribe? Family?” The phantom of a terrified girl gasped. “You said that -”

The warrior shook the girl briefly, a resigned look of despair in her eyes as she settled her free hand on the teen’s slim shoulder.

“A _family_ would see its children survive, no matter the cost.” There was no room for argument in her steely voice. “Go. Remember us. Live for us.”

And with that, the chieftain spun with a snarl, screaming a defiant war cry as she plunged back into the fray to her death.

The ghost of Luz cried out after her, nearly signing herself to certain doom, as two skittering monstrosities broke through the line of sagging tents and rushed towards the source of the sound. The shade shrieked then, panicked and flailing, a vicious bolt of seething lightning flying from her open hand into the beasts. They shuddered to a smoldering stop as the teen girl fell on her back. Her eyes were blind and lips moving, a prayer to a distant god as more nightmares encircled her, the pulsing light of a planeswalk wrapping about her prone form –

“ _Suficiente! Hazlo parar!"_

The aching terror fueled Luz’s spell as she poured wild mana against the bond holding her trapped in a personal hell, tearing Eda’s spell asunder in seconds beneath her maddened fear and searing her wrist an angry red. The illusion dissipated without ceremony, leaving the four spellcasters trembling and pale in the Owl House once more, the only sound Luz’s choking sobs.

King came rushing downstairs, panting with effort as he took in the horrified expressions on the others’ faces, wide-eyed at the sight.

“W-What happened? Is everybody okay!? I heard a bunch of back and forth, and you – Luz just started _screaming_. What’s even going on?”

Hooty slithered back in through the window, looking dazed himself, gazing around at the trio of blank-faced witches surrounding a crying human girl.

“They did some crazy spell to show that Luz had visited other worlds or something, and it showed a buncha – terrible monsters!” The house demon gave a full-body shudder, his feathered form bristling in disquiet. “Let me tell you, that felt all kinds of _wrong_ on my walls and floor!”

She couldn’t control herself. She’d said over and over that there would be no more tears. Not over that. They were dead and gone, her Kor family, and wouldn’t want her torn to pieces on their account. She was right to survive while they hadn’t. There was nothing she could do.

It definitely didn’t _feel_ like any of that, though. It felt like it was all because of her – not strong enough, not quick enough, not _good_ enough.

“It wasn’t your fault, kid.” Eda’s husky timbre tickled her ear as the planeswalker rocked back and forth. Had she said that out loud? “There wasn’t any other way out of that. You did the right thing.”

The first thing to help anchor her in reality once more was a bare pair of arms, pale and deceptively muscled, wrapping her tightly in a hug as she was moved to the couch. It was almost worse, because she knew who they belonged to – but it felt so much like the embrace of a warrior and leader from a faraway land so long ago, the excited display of someone made proud by their student. Another two sets of arms enwrapped her shuddering form, the warmth of multiple bodies pressed close soothing her ragged cries over long minutes.

It wasn’t even dinner yet, but she was just… so exhausted. So comfortable in this big pile of hugs, and… she didn’t want to feel anymore. Feelings hurt, remembering hurt. It never got any easier losing loved ones. It certainly didn’t stop after Zendikar.

Slowly, achingly, Luz drifted off into slumber on the couch, surrounded by her new friends.

She sleepily hoped they would last a good, long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not everything is sunshine and smiles in the multiverse - it's a dangerous place, even for characters we know and love.
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter, I went through several revisions to hit the emotional angle I desired before I was fairly satisfied. I'm not above returning to something I've already written and making adjustments if people feel that things came across awkwardly in some of these chapters. If it wasn't obvious already, I don't have a beta reader, which suites me fine - normally.
> 
> Thanks again for everybody who's read this story, and especially everybody who's dropped a comment, kudos, or whatever thus far!


	8. Chapter 8

“I’m sorry you all… had to see that.”

The hoarse voice whispering from the miserable bundle of blankets on the couch made Eda and her guests twitch in discomfort, seated around the coffee table in a semi-circle as they quietly chewed through dinner. Nobody had been overly hungry after the horrible events they had witnessed under the influence of the Owl Lady’s enchantment, but after Luz had cried herself into an exhausted nap, the host had insisted on everyone getting something in their stomachs. ‘It helps calm you down,’ she said, refusing to elaborate any further. Even King and Hooty had awkwardly remained present, to be informed by those who had been involved for the encounter with Luz’s troublesome memories.

The plate of unfamiliar noodles cooled before Luz, untouched, as she stared blankly at the low-slung coffee table. She made no move to eat, not trusting the awful twisting in her gut at the moment, the throbbing soreness of her burnt wrist a mild distraction from her other discomforts. Her companions had been kind enough to offer her a roll of gauze and homemade ointment for the injury, which she slowly enwrapped her limb in.

The planeswalker felt emptied after her earlier distress. But she owed it to her new friends not to let it bog her down too badly.

Gus gave a frantic shake of his head at her apology, looking on the verge of tears himself.

“No Luz, it wasn’t your fault! I was the one making stupid jokes and not taking it seriously. You were clearly upset, and I just – wouldn’t shut up, and…”

“I think we’re all a little guilty here, kid.” Eda’s tone brooked no argument. “She was uncomfortable every time she talked about where she’d been, and then I badgered her into showing us proof – for something she clearly hadn’t gotten over yet. Should’ve just quit while we were ahead.” She combed a hand through her graying hair, looking twice her age in that moment.

“… Do you want to talk about any of it, Luz?” Willow murmured softly, gently placing a hand on the mage’s knee. “Maybe not what we saw earlier. Just – in general. I know it can help, if you’re willing.”

“I don’t know, Willow…” The Owl Lady began, hesitation on her face.

“It’s okay.”

Luz’s quiet mumble struck them silent, the huddle of witches and demons waiting for her to continue. A long moment passed as she composed herself.

“I didn’t find out any of this until later. After I talked to some other planeswalkers who were there, too.” Luz’s eyes slid shut as she recalled conversations of years past. “Those things were called ‘Eldrazi.’ The ones that attacked were drones, slaves to three giants that would attack worlds.” She looked up then, a grave expression on her face.

“They would _destroy_ entire planes. Every living thing eaten for their mana, stripped down to dust. And then they’d move on to kill the next. It was… I don’t even know if I can count how many people died to them. Zendikar was their last target.”

She swiped the back of her hand across watering eyes, sniffling sharply as she continued.

“A bunch of armies and ‘walkers managed to stop two of the Titans… Ulamog and Kozilek. They did some -” Luz’s hand slid out from her nest, gesturing vaguely. “Mega-sized spell that torched them. But the last one escaped.”

Her gaze grew haunted again, blind to her companion’s expressions.

“I saw it again on another world called Innistrad.” She gave a low, bitter chuckle, bordering on hysterical. “I thought it was hunting me. You know? There’s no way my luck was so bad. But it showed up, and I – I couldn’t stay. Couldn’t help. Just like last time. That place was… already really bad to begin with.” She paused, directing her attention to the grim countenance of the Owl Lady.

“Do you guys have vampires and werewolves around here? Or maybe stuff like zombies, and ghosts?”

“You can find them here and there, yeah.” Eda answered cautiously, wary of how the tangent was headed. “Actual undead are pretty rare these days though. Belos’ cronies aren’t big fans of raising bodies.”

“And what would you say they’re like? Normal people?” She was _not_ liking where the mage was going with this.

“Mostly. Why?”

“Innistrad was _wrong_.” Luz surprised them with the hard conviction in her voice as she looked down at her lap once more. “Vampires were nutty, murderous predators. Ghosts and ghouls were all over the place constantly going after helpless people. Werewolves were… crazy. They never remembered anybody, and would just – tear everything apart. The demons were probably the worst, though. Every bad story you’ve ever heard about them came true on that world.” Luz shuddered, cutting herself off.

“It got worse when Emrakul showed up. It drove everybody into a rage, making them mutate and go insane. I was barely there a month before I had to run. It was… close. Closer than I’d like.”

“What happened with that one?” King sounded like he feared the answer, anticipation warring with dread on his bony face.

“The same group that took out the other Eldrazi showed up, and…” Luz had to stop, a bit of life coming back to the girl as her bafflement became clear. “Apparently they locked it inside the planes’ _moon_ , somehow? Something about it being a bunch of enchanted silver?” She shrugged helplessly. “Yeah, I… don’t really know what was up with that.”

“Uh. Okay.” No one really had an appropriate response to that statement.

“…That wasn’t all you had to say, kid.” Eda eyed her from the adjacent lounge chair, frowning lightly. “Something else is bugging you, isn’t it?”

Luz gave a humorless chuckle, shaking her head slightly.

“Am I really that much of an obvious sad-sack? Sorry guys. I wasn’t planning on dumping my life’s story on you today.” The subdued girl gave another sniffle, finally reaching for the meal set out before her. She fiddled with her dented metal fork for a moment, considering what else she was willing to reveal, before gusting out a resigned sigh. “Guess I might as well get it all out on the table in one go.”

Willow wrapped her in a warm one-armed hug, concern clear on her features.

“Only if you’re okay with it. We’re not going anywhere, if you wanna save it for another day.”

“…Thanks.” Luz gave her a wobbly smile, taking a quick scoop of her meal before pushing onwards. “It still hurts, but… I do feel a little better, getting to finally talk about all of this. There’s a little bit more. I – haven’t ever had anyone around long enough to tell them what happened.”

The point that _‘Because they were all gone’_ went unsaid by everyone present.

“The last world I stayed on for a while was Ravnica. You know how Bonesborough looks?” She received a round of nods from the group, barring Hooty. “Ravnica’s an entire plane covered in towers that make the town seem like a dinky village in the woods. Every structure’s at least three times as high, and it’s all buildings as far as the eye can see.” A faraway look filled her gaze. “It’s still beautiful, in its own way.

“The point is, I went there to track down some rumors about other planeswalkers being really active on that world. I was trying to find some info that only somebody like me would probably know, so I followed their trail best I could.” Luz closed her eyes. “I found some people there, a bunch of barbarian clans called the Gruul. They lived on the outskirts where nature was trying to reclaim the construction. I met… a good friend. Domri Rade.”

She couldn’t help the bittersweet smile that curved her lips, memories of better times clear in her mind.

“He was a ‘walker, too. A few years older than me. Took me in, convinced the other Gruul to let me stay and learn from them. That was the longest I’d ever spent in one place – he wasn’t really big on travelling around when he had people to care of back home. Domri was the closest thing I’ve ever had to a brother, I think.” Her grin soured, dark recollections rearing their heads. “It was like the Kor all over again. I let myself make friends, and then some _loco bastardo_ went and ruined it all.”

“It wasn’t the Eldrazi again, was it?” Gus whispered, eyes wide in anticipation.

“No. Worse. Another planeswalker - some gigantic, ancient dragon that showed up with an army of crystal _zombies_.”

“Uh… what? ‘Crystal zombies,’ really?” Eda seemed barely able to believe that, but Luz remained serious, leaving the Owl Lady to acknowledge her tale with a nod.

“There were hundreds, maybe thousands of them. They tore the whole city apart, looking for _us_ – other ‘walkers. They were killing people, harvesting them for their sparks. It was… awful.”

Her voice dipped into a haunted whisper, eyes staring unseeing at the floor.

“Domri tried to join the dragon. They killed him first. I - I watched it happen.”

“I’m so sorry, Luz.” Willow squeezed her tightly, a sympathetic expression on her face. The others looked on with varying degrees of guilt and discomfort as the room went silent for a long moment.

“I don’t mean to derail you, Luz,” Gus started slowly, “But what was that about a ‘spark?’ Is that a… planeswalker thing?”

“Yeah.” Luz nodded, leaning into the comforting embrace. “It’s the part of the soul that lets somebody travel between worlds. I heard someone say once that maybe one in a million people are born with it, and it’s another one in a million that ever have it activate. You -” Her voice cracked. “You can’t take that from somebody without killing them. The dragon didn’t care.”

“Why would he do that to people, if he was able to move around like that?” Eda demanded sharply, hands clenching helplessly as she fumed at the thought. “What’s the point in all the destruction for something you already have? It doesn’t make any damn _sense_.”

Luz could only shake her head limply.

“I don’t know. I was too busy staying alive. When I tried to leave, it…” Her thoughtful look returned. “There was something keeping us all trapped on Ravnica. I didn’t ever figure that one out, but there were at least a few dozen other ‘walkers present during the fight. For reference? If I see another person like me within a couple of months, it’s a good day. We’re pretty rare, which I guess makes us valuable… to certain people.” She concluded darkly. “And I know what you’re thinking.”

She couldn’t stand to look at her tentative friends, to see the pity and embarrassment she anticipated in their faces. Luz felt her stubborn determination well up in her chest, refusing to let her own efforts go unstated.

“I didn’t run that time. I didn’t hide.”

Luz was not a coward anymore. She was _not._

“I fought them,” She whispered furiously. “I used everything I had to make a difference. The others were stronger than me, but – I’m fast. Hard to hit. I know how to get around, where to take people out of the way so they’d be safe. Those monsters were killing _everyone -_ ” She glared up, dreading their judgement – but was surprised and mollified to find only patient support on their faces. Luz pushed on once more. “So I fought them. I saved people, that time. I didn’t let them hurt innocents, not like… on Zendikar.”

“You didn’t ‘let’ anything happen girly.” Eda’s hand squeezed Luz’s covered knee comfortingly, her voice firm. “You’re forgetting we all saw what happened. You _survived_. No shame in that. And besides? Good job on sticking it that nasty dragon.” She gave the teary-eyed mage a fierce grin. “You did solid work saving people and the like. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise, got me?”

“That’s a lot coming from you, Miss ‘I’d Kill a Man for a Coin’ Clawthorne.” Willow ribbed her mentor lightly, wielding a cheeky half-smile to take the edge off. Her jest got several small chuckles from around the room, Luz included.

“Feh!” The Owl Lady gave a dismissive wave, rolling her eyes. “Sometimes there’s stuff more important than money, you know? But _only_ sometimes.” She gave the bundled mage an exaggerated wink and a nudge, drawing a few more hiccupping giggles from the tired girl.

Luz had missed having friends to share jokes with. It’d been too long since she’d just cut loose, by her reckoning. The calm that followed was much more pleasant than it had been while she dozed, the rest of the Owl House lounging quietly as she scooped the remainder of her lukewarm meal into her mouth.

“So I know poking into your past was what got us in hot water to begin with,” Gus spoke up hesitantly, tapping his fingers together. “But I’d still love to hear any stories you have about other worlds, Luz. Just, um, the happier stuff. You know. Sorry.” The tips of his ears darkened as his words trailed off.

The young planeswalker gave a pondering hum around her final forkful of pasta, casting her mind back to various adventures across the multiverse.

“Augustus. Really? Right now?” Willow appeared thoroughly unimpressed, directing a flat glare at the cringing boy from behind her thick glasses.

“It’s alright, guys. Not everything’s doom and gloom with me. Just… thanks for being here. I really appreciate it.” Luz gave what she hoped was a confident grin at the pair, gesturing towards herself. “’Sides, you’re not the one that tripped right over a big personal warning sign trying to prove a point. So.”

She cleared her throat, eyes tracing the aged support beams overhead as she considered what kind of tale the others would be interested in hearing. The planeswalker perked up as she recalled one particularly astounding encounter, some energy making its way back into her posture at the thought.

“Okay, when I was wandering around one time,” Luz began, immersing herself into retelling the experience. “I found myself on a plane they called Kephalai. Lots of big, classical city buildings made of marble, and the whole continent was peppered with these enormous lakes and rivers. Anyway, you can imagine my surprise when I pop by one of the city markets, and find somebody selling trinkets with Ravnica guild seals on them…”

They spent the rest of the night listening with rapt attention to Luz spinning tales of happier times, well into the dusky later evening of the Boiling Isles, hanging onto every word of worlds afar.

* * *

After the incident the prior weekend, Eda seemed determine to let Luz work her way through the painful tangle of emotions evoked by the event, and let her have the better part of the week off in spite of her protests. The Owl Lady didn’t really seem to have an answer to the moping young adult living in her house, and just cut her free to take some time and try to relax. However, her supposed indifference was offset by regular check-ups on Luz’s welfare as the girl collected herself. The mage found it just a little exasperating, if not endearing that the older witch cared enough to keep her wellbeing in mind.

With King and Eda tied up in running the business side of the Owl House’s affairs, making consistent sales runs out to local customers, Luz found herself free to explore the property and surrounding woodlands. She would regularly spend mornings rising shortly after the encroaching sun as she was wont to do, exercising staff forms alongside the windy cliff while Hooty kept her company, the house demon running through all kinds of inane chatter to keep her mind busy.

To her quiet relief, the brief spat of nightmares had receded once more, leaving her feeling significantly better rested.

After a point Hooty even volunteered to help Luz as a sparring partner if she so desired, proving his uncanny ability to tear through the packed soil and burst past her flanks for ambushes. It was a welcome deviation from the straightforward fights she was so accustomed to, allowing the planeswalker to hone her senses as she returned to the rhythm of battle readiness.

Nobody had been harmed by Eda’s disastrous enchantment the week before, not physically at least, barring her minor burn from magical backlash. But it was a firm reminder of what may yet come in her future – and what she now stood to lose, with people Luz cared for in the line of fire once again.

To that end, Luz pushed herself to expand her skillset with various colors of mana, targeting something she had considered previously harnessing: blue magic hydromancy.

She began simply, manipulating water sourced from the house or down by the wild seas, twisting it into a variety of forms through the power of her mental fortitude. It was in no way easy, wrapping her will around a liquid source and forcing it into unnatural shape, and having to retain it as such for extended periods of time. In addition, the field of application was quite wide – as she had commented to her impromptu students the other night, there were almost no limits to what could be accomplished through magic with enough time and power. Luz thusly decided on more combat-oriented efforts, calling the strength of flowing rapids to herself in cutting blades and dowsing blasts.

The arcane depths of the island’s heavily saturated blue mana sang loudly through her body and soul, sharpened into slicing whips under the pressure of her determination. The roughly assembled dummies of dried wood and fallen brush that Hooty helped her gather fell quickly before the onslaught, blasted and ripped apart as she directed her attacks with snaps of her wrists.

Luz hoped that within a few weeks, she might be able to further grow her repertoire of aquatic abilities, perhaps to cast squalling blasts of snow and ice, or even disperse attacks into bursts of fog. The skill evaded her for the moment, the intricacies of manipulating liquid thermodynamics while maintaining control of the water straining to her untested senses. However, the planeswalker welcomed the challenge knowing that mastery would come with time and practice.

Occupying her mind with new goals kept Luz from the dark thoughts of the recent past, pushing her ever onwards. She even allowed herself a moment of childish fantasy, the glee of ‘waterbending’ like in one of her favorite childhood shows helping to maintain her focus and enjoyment of the self-taught lessons.

During her spare time, the Owl Lady would join her in the yard, eager to put her own newfound access to blue mana to practice. She gave a valiant attempt at following the lead of her guest, but the grasp of hydromancy was beyond her for the moment. Not to be deterred, Eda pitted herself against numerous scrap items in the yard and began harnessing the power of freeform telekinesis. At one point, the pair had the bright idea to train in conjunction, with the pale witch launching targets skyward for Luz to blast to pieces with a concentrated attack of lashing water. Simultaneously, the mage would throw unannounced blasts towards the older woman at random intervals, encouraging Eda to redirect streams of swirling liquid away from her vulnerable form.

The witch’s connection to the flowing tides of her land’s magic grew with every passing day, leaving her capable of drawing greater quantities of mana into her confident spellcasting. Within the week, Eda the Owl Lady was tossing multiple objects across the yard in quick succession, knocking aside incoming attacks with a brush of her thoughts. Luz made certain to provide praise and feedback where appropriate, pride swelling in her chest at the sight of such resounding success for her older student. Between her decades of spellcasting and familiarity with the land and seas of the Boiling Isles, Eda slipped into her new skillset with the ease of a true prodigy, the original difficulties in connecting to natural mana all but forgotten.

In spite of everything that had happened as of late, this was the most fun Luz had experienced in a long while.

The return of the weekend brought with it further surprising developments.

Willow and Gus came hiking over the eastern foothills just as the pair were winding down from another training session, scattered remnants of shredded refuse and muddy puddles of splattered water interspersing patches of thick grass. Luz swiped the sweat from her brow with an easy motion, panting roughly as she shot her sparring partner a brilliant grin.

“You’re a real natural, Eda.” The butt of her staff was planted firmly in the dirt, the living wood slippery in her grasp. “I can’t believe how fast you’re taking to this! Guess all that meditating really did do something for you, huh?”

The Owl Lady snorted, downing a refreshing gulp from a salvaged human water bottle she’d found in her pile of goods.

“Uh huh. It was the silly mental gymnastics that made me so good, not the years of magical experience and constant practice every day. Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid.” She gave a rough shake of her head, thick mane of hair following the motion. “Phew. I thought I was in pretty decent shape before you came along, but all this flailing around really tuckers a gal out. Gotta admire that youthful stamina.”

“Mhm!” Came the cheery hum of agreement, even as Luz gestured with each hand, the pull of her will sending twin arcs of cool water spraying over her body from the nearby buckets. With a furrowed brow, she lunged forward, calling on blue mana and snapping her wrist away from her core. The majority of the liquid soaking her exercise clothes and twisted braid came running out in narrow rivulets, her clawed gesture loosening as she released control of the water to send it splashing to the ground. It was incredibly refreshing in the summertime sun – she’d have to keep working on that trick for future use.

“Huh. Handy.” Eda remarked, turning to meet the approach of her apprentice and company, cocking a slim eyebrow and grin their way. “You kids missed the show! Luz here has been helping me learn how to toss stuff around with my mind. Now if any of you act up, I don’t even haveta get off the couch to kick your little rears outta my house.”

“Oh, I’m sure, Eda. I’ll keep that in mind next time you ask me to help file your taxes. Hello, by the way, Luz.” Willow tossed out flippantly, not even dignifying her snarky tutor with a look as she greeted Hooty, taking shelter inside the cool interior of the Owl House.

“ _What_ taxes?” The pale witch snorted, completely serious. She shortly followed suit, snagging the emptied buckets and boxes on her way to the door and directing a sly look towards the male witch. “Lunch’ll be ready in an hour or so, kids. Try not to melt out here.”

Luz gave her a parting wave, taking in the sight of the embattled yard once more as she consolidated her remaining containers of water, the sloshing of overfilled buckets loud in the midday stillness.

“Hey there, Gus. Looks like it’s just you and me right now.” She grunted as the buckets were dropped in a sloppy semicircle, dusting her hands off on slightly damp trousers as she gave the diminutive witch a questioning look. “Was something the matter? Or did you just want to hang out here with me?”

“Hi Luz.” He seemed a bit more subdued than their previous encounter, hands folded behind his back as one heel dug nervously into the dry dirt.

“What’s up with you?” The mage asked, cocking a brow as she planted one hand at her hip. “I know we got off to a rough start before, but I’m not angry, you know. I made a stupid mistake and paid for it – it happens.”

“I know, I know, but…” The younger boy dropped into a deep bow, startling her. “I just wanted to apologize again. And… I wanted to give you something. As a gift, if you’ll take it.” His clasped hands flexed over some hidden object resting against his lower back.

“Of course! You didn’t have to do that.”

Gus straightened from his supplication, stepping forward to take Luz’s free hand and press a sleek disc of foreign metal into her palm.

“I hope you like it. Eda and Willow actually helped a lot with the process – they felt pretty bad too, and so we kinda… put our heads together and made something for you.”

The object was wrought in smooth, unmarked silver, shaped similarly to an old-fashioned pocketwatch on a chain, with a single miniature clasp on its front. Luz couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her as she popped the trinket open, and sprouting from the interior came a wildflower native to –

“Zendikar… a jungle honeysuckle? How did you…”

“Willow had made sure to memorize some of the plants she saw during the spell the other day,” Gus elaborated, his eyes on the flowering illusion. “Eda helped with some more mind magic to get all the details right, and then we tied it into an illusion enchantment that I knew of to make it as realistic as possible.” One of his hands came up, gently stroking the fragile leaves of the plant’s image. It all felt so… genuine, hearing the soft sound of his fingertips scrape over the green shoot, stem bowing underneath the pressure.

“That’s not all it can do, too. Give it a swipe on the bottom half.”

Luz followed his suggestion with mouth agape, eyes widening further as the image shifted, displaying the shape of a tender fern sprouting from the undergrowth.

“We got about ten or so plants programmed into the enchantment. Willow wanted to record more, but that was all she saw before, well…” The witch shrugged, averting his eyes. “We just wanted to give you a little something to remember your favorite place by, y’know? And… we’re all really sorry about that – whole thing. Yeah.”

“It’s… it’s beautiful.” She was tearing up a little as the sleek leaves of the fern rolled between her fingers. Luz shut it after another moment, the container snapping cleanly closed and cutting off the projected illusion. “Thank you so much. This – it means the world to me.”

She lunged forward, snatching the shorter boy into a tight hug as he gave a startled laugh, before gamely returning the gesture. Gus patted her comfortingly on the shoulder blade, the embrace loosening up as Luz took a step back.

“We weren’t sure if you would want it on a chain or anything, but Eda said she can always modify it later if you don’t want it as a necklace. And… I’m glad you like it so much!”

“I love it, Gus. I’ll have to thank Eda and Willow for their help when we go in to eat.” A quick wipe of her thumb flicked the forming tears from her eyes, and she directed a shining smile to the boy that he readily returned.

“Good to hear! But - there was something else I meant to ask you, too.” He clasped his hands before him, a winning smile on his face. “Eda said that you might _possibly_ be able to teach me how to use your type of magic for illusions?”

“Was this a bribe?” Luz asked playfully, letting out a chuckle at his falling expression, pointed ears going dark with a blush as he stammered frantically. “I’m just messing with you. Yeah, I’ve met mages who can do that kinda thing with blue mana, even if I haven’t tried it myself.”

She turned her head to look towards the Owl House, giving it a narrowed squint as she pocketed her gift safely within her trousers.

“I’ve got a quick question, though.” Luz turned back to her companion. “I get that Willow wants to be a ‘wild witch’ like Eda, but she didn’t mention anything about the kind of stuff you were learning. Are you okay with all of this… arguably legal magic? I don’t want anybody getting hauled off to jail…”

“Ah, but there’s the secret!” Gus declared, holding up a finger dramatically. “I’m not learning how to do _all_ schools of magic, just illusions – with a different _source_.”

Hmm. A clever little workaround, if it was true. He followed the statement with a cheeky grin.

“Besides, none of us even know if your kind of spells will work with a coven tattoo, so it’s worth giving it a shot, you know?”

“Tattoo?” She repeated, tilting her head with a frown. “What tattoo?”

In response the young witch rolled up one of his sleeves, revealing the sprawling web of ink staining his forearm, an intricate icon of a doubled mirror eclipsing his wrist.

“It’s how covens apply limitations to a member’s magic,” He explained, even as the planeswalker leaned in to inspect the pattern, fascination and revulsion warring on her expression. “They’re enchanted to cut off other types of spells for witches. Normally you get them before you graduate, once you’ve picked a coven to join.”

Luz couldn’t imagine such a massive handicap being placed on someone’s magical abilities. It was a notable struggle for most fledgling mages on other worlds to master even one school of spells – and the witches of the Boiling Isles just… cut themselves off from the full spectrum, even for their children? Just like that?

“Does it hurt, when they give you those?” She wasn’t even certain if she meant physically or spiritually.

“Nope. It’s real easy, most members will know the spell so they can do it for new applicants. Not even a pinch.” Gus rolled his wrist, displaying his full range of unhindered motion.

“Wow. I can’t even imagine doing something like that…” She hesitated, feeling her questions encroaching on delicate subjects. “If you’re required by law to get those before you finish high school, then – how do Eda and Willow not have those tattoos?”

Gus’ expression folded in on itself, as his gaze slid away from her uncomfortably.

“I’m… not sure I should say. It’s not really my place to tell you.” His body language screamed uncertainty and doubt at his own words.

Luz placed her hand lightly on his shoulder, drawing his gaze back around with a wince.

“You don’t have to tell me if you think it’d be wrong to, Gus. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t feel like you had to learn these spells if it might be a problem in the future, just because Willow and Eda know it. But I promise – whatever it is, I won’t judge.”

“Well…” The young witch dragged the word out, trepidation clear. “We did get to see some of your own stuff get revealed to the world the other day. And – I won’t get into the real tough bits. So…”

Luz mentally braced herself, as Gus came to a decision.

“They avoided the tattoos because… they dropped out of school.”

Her eyes widened a bit at the admission. It wasn’t as if that were something horrifically scandalous, but it struck painfully close to home within her heart.

“I’ll let Willow decide if she wants to tell you why. But Eda? As far as I know, she just didn’t wanna give up her abilities. Which I _get_ , but…” Unspoken concerns for his friend and her mentor danced behind his eyes. “She’s spent most of her life running from the law. I don’t know if I’d have the guts to do something like that.”

“… I don’t know if I would, either.” Luz muttered softly, giving a sympathetic wince. “They really dropped out of high school? Both of them?”

“Yeah.” Gus gave a subdued mutter. A bit of steel entered his spine as he looked up at her, gaze challenging. “That’s not some kind of problem, is it?”

“No, no. It’s just…” Her fingers drummed nervously against folded arms as Luz fought to unearth yet more buried memories. “That’s something I struggled with. A long time ago. School and I never really got along, and it – it didn’t end well. It’s kinda why I’m here, to a degree.” She gestured widely, encompassing the sky with the sweep of an arm. “Guess it’s a bit of a moot point, though. Can’t really get an education like that when you’re planet hopping. You know?”

The two descended into morose silence for a moment before Luz broke the pause with a clap, forcing a cheery expression.

“Welp, since you’re interested in learning how to cast spells with mana, let’s get you started before lunch. The standing record for learning how to harness blue magic is about five days – wanna see if you can beat Eda’s time?” The boy gave an eager laugh in response, pleased to move on from heavier topics.

“You know it! Gotta show the Owl Lady she has some _competition_ for strongest witch on the Isles.”

The pair spent the remainder of their time before lunch running through the basic theories and meditation technique for connecting with the seething seas far below, Luz keeping up a running commentary as Gus settled in by the cliffside, legs dangling loosely over the ledge with salty winds buffering them from summer heat. Both sought to put aside their more serious concerns for the afternoon, enjoying one another’s company under the watchful summer sun.

When they retired to the Owl House for their meal, Luz made certain to give both Eda and Willow a tight embrace apiece, letting them know just how much she loved their thoughtful present. The remainder of the day passed between sorting goods for sale and watching Gus strive to forge a relationship with the elements, easy jokes on everyone’s lips as they worked.

It really was nice to have friends again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Further revelations regarding our cast, but there's still much to be covered. We haven't even really hit the canonical issues of the Owl House characters yet.
> 
> Thanks again to everybody that has read and commented thus far, I really appreciate the feedback. Updates may be slowing down for the next few weeks as I tackle senior thesis, but there are no current plans to put this story fully on hold. I may just have to put out a chapter every week or so, instead of stockpiling them like I have previously (which is why I was consistently updating about every two days since the start).


	9. Chapter 9

Watching the break of day crest through the arches of a prehistoric Titan’s cadaver, Luz thought that she might never tire of the sight. The colossal remains played havoc with the approaching light of early dawn, sending cascading slivers of shadows running along the greater Boiling Isles as the local star ascended beyond the horizon.

It created a glorious view for the enterprising souls willing and able to be active at such a young hour of the day.

“Watch out down below!” The sharp crash of a falling pallet cracked through the dozing marketplace, drawing a number of dark looks their way.

Unfortunately, there was work to be done if the occupants of the Owl House wanted to remain comfortably fed and clothed, with little time available for poetic musings.

“ _Santo infierno_ , Eda, are you trying to squish me? I’m not that durable!” Luz scrambled back to her feet, dusting the detritus of the dirty bazaar roadways from her borrowed cloak as she flipped the unstained hood over her scalp.

“Sorry kid, forgot how heavy that one was.” The pale witch descended from the skies, dismounting her staff and leaving it to hover unaided in the street as she ran a critical eye over the scattered components of her market stand.

“I’ll help ya get unloaded and set the tent up, but I’m gonna need to scoot sooner rather than later. Mama needs to make some important deliveries and pick-ups on the other side of town, so it’ll be up to you to get some sales.” She gave the unimpressed human mage a paired thumbs-up, an exaggerated grin stretching her features. “Good luck with that!”

Luz muttered darkly under her breath in her mother’s tongue as she hauled the collapsible portions of the rough plywood stand into position, snapping the cleverly hidden pegs into their appropriate sockets while the witch took advantage of her growing telekinetic skills to hoist the ragged tent walls that housed her greater stock of goods.

Even by the planeswalker’s standards, their current venture was a rather early event to be partaking in. It appeared that the Bonesborough bazaar acted very much like the homely farmers markets Luz had spent her youthful days visiting with her _mami_ , beginning operation in the wee hours of the morning and continuing into the dregs of late afternoon. Her love for exploring flea markets on bright mornings, hand in hand with her cheerful mother, was what had inspired her to frequent the open exchanges in search of otherworldly goods and homemade meals. They weren’t terrible for hunting down valuable gossip, either.

As it turned out, the only exception the Owl Lady made in regards to her strict adherence of midday slumber was for instances such as this, where she would attend the market as early as possible to maximize customer exposure. It was a standard principle, but a solid one that had served many a merchant well in the past. Luz simply wished that Eda would have warned her before dragging her a good few miles into town, barely conscious and with a paltry breakfast to start the day, nearly forgetting her pack and satchel of personal funds before she was whisked off into Bonesborough proper.

On top of that…

“Eda, I’ve never sold a single thing in my entire life. My world had these things, called ‘child labor laws?’ I couldn’t’ve done stuff like that even if I wanted to.” The planeswalker pressed the sleep from her eyes, the growing irritation in her gut helping to wake her up for the daily grind. “I really don’t think I’m cut out for this.”

“Aw, c’mon!” The older woman gave her a hearty slap on the back, making Luz question where in the world such a lackadaisical person found so much energy at this time of day. “You’ll never know unless you try. Where’s that can-do attitude you’re normally so fond of?”

“I forgot in in my bedroll.” Luz deadpanned, prompting another joyful chuckle, coupled with the mussing of her thick brown locks as the Owl Lady shook her head.

Willow must’ve been right: only the thought of a tidy profit could instill energy like this into the owner of the Owl House.

“Alright, I’ve got a few tips for you then, if you’re so anxious.” She began counting off her fingers, head tilted backwards in thought. “First suggestion? Since you’re so new at this, just play it cool. Don’t bug people, don’t oversell it, let them come to you. And when they’re at the stand?” Eda leaned in, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “Don’t name any prices. Let _them_ say it first. They’ll try to lowball you, every time, but if you just give ‘em a look and wait until they crack, those suckers’ll gladly cough up some more coin.”

That was… actually decent advice. Not the kind of mercantile approach that would work in an established shopping center, but for a roadside stand where haggling is the norm? It could work.

“Huh.” Luz gave a considering hum, some of Eda’s rampant energy infecting her and breaking the fugue of morning sloth. “Fair enough. Guess that’s worth a shot. Got anything else?”

“The second thing I can think of is to just ‘have fun.’” The older witch gave a bark of a laugh at Luz’s flat glare, patting her on the shoulder. “I’m only kinda pulling your leg, kiddo. What I mean is, don’t be afraid to get friendly if somebody wants to chat. No need to let them talk you up all day, but a buyer likes to see that the gal pawning some junk off on ‘em has a little bit of spirit, y’know?”

The girl gave a resigned sigh, finishing her assembly of the shoddy tabletop just as Eda finalized her own portion of the laborious setup.

“I’ll… give it my best shot. I just want to apologize in advance if I don’t make squat, though.”

“Hey, if there’s one good thing about selling this stuff, it’s that most of it isn’t even perishable. And besides, we’ve still got plenty of coin saved up back at the house.” The witch gave her a much more genuine grin this time, softening some of Luz’s cranky frustration. “Give it a try, and we’ll see how things turn out. Worst comes to worst, we just eat Hooty if we go broke.”

“Oh, that’s _foul_.” The young mage gagged at the thought, memories of his dirt-encrusted form dancing through her head as the witch gave another cackling snort, remounting the floating form of her carved staff.

“See you in a few hours!” Eda departed with a single wave, leaving Luz alone to face the horrors of the average consumer as she attempted to sell them random refuse from her homeworld – something that would’ve been difficult enough without her conscience nagging at her for pawning off scrap on complete strangers.

Mercifully, the early hour seemed to deter most of the common marketgoers, leaving her time to go through a few rounds of stretches to wake her sluggish body for the day, interspersed between bouts of unpacking goods to be put on display. Her work the prior week or so had helped to whittle down the piles of proper garbage in Eda’s stock, with some minor success being had in regards to restoration of the items for potential customers.

Luz had steadfastly refused to allow the Owl Lady freedom to sell anything she deemed overly hazardous or too heavily worn, such as aging toothbrushes and other filthy healthcare products that had clearly been discarded after use. Thankfully, despite the wild variety in the items that her host had salvaged over a period time, there was very little that posed a risk to either the seller or buyer. At worst she had fished some rusting blades from the pile, and after a short demonstration to the older woman on the mechanics of pocket knives, had deemed them reasonably safe for sale.

She had a sinking feeling that the witch should really have adopted some sort of policy regarding warning customers about her products, and that by buying them they waved the rights to charge the merchant for injuries. When Eda informed her that most folk simply did whatever they felt like with things such as batteries and operational machinery, Luz immediately began questioning her on potential lawsuits by the town government. That was the last thing any of them needed, especially seeing as the majority of the Owl House’s occupants were (probably) wanted criminals.

As the shining width of the midmorning sun slowly slid out from behind the imposing architecture of the titanic skeleton, Luz busied herself with tidying up any remaining grime that had hardened to the table’s wares. Her nerves only grew as time went on without a single interruption by a prospective buyer, the busywork only going so far as a suitable distraction for her personal concerns. After wiping down as much of the goods on display as was possible, she set upon a stack of yellowed index cards that had been fished from their stock, pen in hand as she went about properly providing labels and instructions for the various items Eda was trying to pawn off.

The least Luz could do was inform any visitors about what they were buying before they made a foolhardy decision – it would fall upon them to heed her advice.

By the time her first client made their appearance, the shade of dawn had been chased from the streets and most of the items up for sale had been thoroughly scrubbed down, leaving plastic casings shining and rust chipped away for greater appeal. The townsperson didn’t really greet the girl sitting behind her roughshod table, a half-awake gaze scanning over the table of repurposed human goods as the drowsy witch sipped a steaming mug of something caffeinated.

It was a tad off-putting, going without a greeting or making a valiant attempt at small talk, but Luz was only truly versed in working from the opposite side of the counter with valued currency in hand. She decided to heed Eda’s prior advice, staying silent with a watchful eye as the customer shifted through the pile of goods before him, idly scraping salt stains from the interior of an aging ceramic cup with a soiled rag she had salvaged. After a short period, the hooded man pulled a squeaky metal stapler from the pile, eyeing the device critically before referring to the placard the young planeswalker had scribbled out.

“A ‘stapler,’ for binding sheets of paper together? Hmm. Sounds handy.” The stranger shifted his gaze over to Luz, who had sat up from her relaxed slouch as his interest was made clear. “I’ll give you five snails for it.”

It occurred to her in that moment that the Owl Lady had never fully described to her the relative value of the Boiling Isles coinage, and it was a bit difficult to gauge the price of miscellaneous items without a proper frame of reference. Luz took a moment to ponder her options, before going ahead with her best effort at clinical disinterest.

“Make it ten snails, and I’ll toss in two boxes of staples. Should keep you in business for a while.” That sounded somewhat reasonable off the top of her head – especially considering the gentleman did not appear to understand that his purchase would need any kind of addition to function.

“Sounds good to me.” She kept her expression neutral as the money and goods changed hands, but internally the young mage felt a growing bubble of pleasure at her first successful sale of the day. Assuming a one-to-one ratio between the golden snails and her own native dollars, that would’ve been an acceptable deal to receive at a local supplier, so she could only hope that her estimate wasn’t too far off the mark. As a further bonus she made sure to demonstrate to her customer how to load in the staples, tossing in a remark about keeping fingertips away from its arms as the man walked away with his purchase.

Perhaps being a merchant wasn’t completely terrible.

Several more interactions passed before the daytime heat of the sun began encroaching uncomfortably, most of the sales performed by Luz being thankfully painless. A handful even wished to see the greater stock within the tent, browsing the darkened interior of the canvas cover in search of promising scrap. Eda’s tactics held true – if the customer seemed in anyway standoffish or disagreeable, the mage would let them say their piece, giving them only a short affirmation or cocking an eyebrow at their intentional underselling, with all but the most stubborn cracking under her unamused look. It was actually growing progressively more difficult for her to pull off the act without giggling at their discomfited expressions, the idea of people finding her in any way intimidating being incredibly entertaining.

By the time noon rolled around, with no sign of the wandering Owl Lady in sight, Luz had shed her cloak to offset the sweltering wave of warmth suffusing the market square. Her host had held some concerns regarding the townspeople’s reactions to finding a human in their midst, but it seemed the growing heat left the majority of the marketgoers a bit less focused than they may have otherwise been. Only a few even gave the curve of her ears a second look, and none of them openly commented – though she did note with some interest that a number of eyes tracked her position with innocent curiosity as satisfied customers left the Owl Lady’s stall with purchases in hand.

The inconsistent flow of people coming and going leveled out into a minor trickle once the lunch rush began, leaving Luz to find herself something to tide herself over while she awaited Eda’s return. A quick visit to a neighboring stand secured her an appetizing local sandwich, the wrap packed with flavorful selections of meat and vegetables that the planeswalker couldn’t identify – but it was no matter. She had grown hungry enough to consider just about anything acceptable, and busied herself for a short while with her own meal break in comfortable solitude.

It was as Luz was finishing her purchased fare that a shadow obscured the sweltering sunlight above her, drawing her attention up to the visiting customer blocking the illumination.

“Sorry about that, just getting done with my lunch. I’ll be able to help you in a -” It took a moment for the visage of her guest to fully register, leaving the young mage to choke on her final mouthful of food as she beheld the unsmiling face of one Lilith Clawthorne – apparent head of the Emperor’s Coven, and the witch she had jinxed only two weeks prior.

The older woman gave her a bemused look, one eyebrow climbing high as Luz coughed her way through the blockage in her windpipe, a lengthy swallow of water finally leaving her free to gasp for air.

“Whew, huh, hello there Miss Lilith.” Any accumulated calm that she held with previous customers immediately crumbled, a bead of sweat trickling down her back as the law mage regarded her coolly. “Nice d-day to visit the local market, am I right? Heh…”

“Why yes, it is, citizen.” An edge of sarcasm entered the pale witch’s tone as she stood, stonily immobile, giving Luz an imperious look. “In fact, today was pleasant enough that I decided to put some of my accumulated leave to good use and enjoy the weather – and yet here I stand, before my wayward sister’s… shop, her criminal accomplice gallivanting freely in public.”

The young planeswalker barked out an overly cheerful laugh, palming the back of her neck as her nerves skyrocketed.

“Yeah, I guess I did. Um. Help Eda run away from you last time.” She winced, shrinking in on herself in her seat. “Would it mean anything if I said I was genuinely sorry about that?”

A second, more aggravated tone cut out from behind the coven leader, making the witch turn towards its owner.

“Not particularly, no. The law doesn’t really care how you feel about being a criminal. You’re just lucky this is our only day off.”

The stern girl glaring down at Luz through narrowed eyes was almost certainly an intern, or perhaps employee, of Miss Clawthorne – she held herself in the same confident, borderline aggressive stance as she looked down upon the mage. Her fair features and golden eyes brought to mind the likeness of Eda if any joviality or mischief had been stripped from her expression. Mint green locks were pulled back in a folded braid laying atop the greater length of her hair, the creeping hint of copper roots ringing her scalp and framing her sharply pointed ears.

For someone who looked close to Luz’s own age, her expression certainly reminded the mage of uncompromising principals and seething teachers from years past, their disappointment written plainly for all to see. It helped ground her, the raising of hackles at the smug look slicing through the panic of encountering an officer of the law she had previously accosted.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t want to inconvenience anybody.” Her statement came across as disingenuous, but she was careful to school her features into the same neutrality she had treated enterprising customers to earlier that day. “If you aren’t here to arrest anyone, is there something I can help you with?”

“I was somewhat curious as to where my beloved sister had run off to, once I saw you attending her goods.” Lilith scooped a random article off the patchwork tablecloth – a small, plush child’s toy – as she gave the items a critical inspection. “I can only assume she’s causing chaos somewhere, or engaging in further illegalities.”

It was odd how that statement came off sounding more exhausted than anything else, but Luz wasn’t quite willing to drop her defenses in front of the aggravated law witches. They had already proven willing to be as rude as they pleased.

“Couldn’t tell you.” The mage leaned on the table, resting her elbows on the table as she cupped her cheeks. “But I’m sure she’ll be back soon. Just enough errands to keep herself busy, you know?”

If either woman registered the implicit warning, they failed to react in any gratifying manner. Miss Clawthorne was still turning over each object on the table, a clear confusion in her furrowed brow as she ran her eyes over the human wares. In lieu of the older woman’s response, her coven underling stepped forward, cool irritation giving way for something approaching begrudging respect in her expression as she stuck a hand out towards Luz, startling her.

“I suppose introductions are in order, since we’re being civil today. Have to give credit to the first criminal to get the better of us like that, after all.” Her slim hand gripped the mage’s unyieldingly as she gave their linked fists a single pump. “Amity Blight. Deputy to the Emperor’s Coven and Lilith Clawthorne’s protégé.”

Oh, so it was titles for this meeting, was it?

“That’s fair, I suppose. Luz Noceda – freelance spellcaster.” She pulled her hand from the crushing grasp, only to give her throbbing fingers a look with raised eyebrows as she considered something. “Wait. Did you actually want to introduce yourself? Or were you just digging for my name, so you could put it on a wanted poster?”

“Why not both?” The other girl’s grin was smug – but the spark of legitimate laughter dancing behind her eyes offset the severe appearance.

“Huh.” Luz grunted, looking rather bemused herself. “And here I thought it was Eda teaching others how to con random people, not her sibling.”

“ _Edalyn_ doesn’t offer to teach anyone a single thing, unless it benefits her.” Lilith’s sharp, if distracted, response cut across her apprentice’s witty retort. “And it seems that she’s found something valuable with you – after all, no one else I know could clean up this refuse for sale.” The older witch’s eyes flicked unerringly to Luz’s uncovered ears. “Isn’t that right, human?”

The pointed question had the coven deputy doing a double-take, the moment of realization almost comical to the planeswalker as her disinterested countenance broke apart in shock. It was difficult for Luz to appreciate the moment, however, as the pale woman stalked closer to the table, a shrewd look in her eye.

“More importantly – I would like to know how a magicless human such as yourself pulls the stunts we saw previously, before and after you incapacitated my guards.” The intensity of her presence that Luz had registered on their first meeting had returned in full force, cold green eyes boring through the stunned girl as she loomed over her.

“W-What can I say?” She turned her palms up in a weak shrug, wilting under the scrutiny. “I’m just full of surprises. It’s one of my greatest attributes.”

As if summoned by her distress, a youthful voice cut through the witch’s intimidating glare, blessedly relieving the mage from her burning curiosity for a moment.

“Hey Luz, is that you? I thought I recognized the – oh.”

Gus Porter trotted to a stop in front of the stand, the elation in his expression dimming into closed neutrality as he took in the sight of the two guests already retaining his friend’s attentions.

“Head Coven Leader Lilith. It’s an honor to see you out of the Emperor’s castle.” He tilted his head stiffly towards his elder, not even acknowledging the Blight girl standing beside her. “I hope you’re enjoying your visit to the Bonesborough market.”

“…I suppose you could say that I am. Thank you for your well wishes, citizen.” Lilith gave him a dismissive look, even as recognition grew on her face. “Have we met before? You seem somewhat familiar, but I cannot place from where.”

“He was a part of my graduating class.” Amity stepped forward, reentering the conversation with an air of mild annoyance, which faded into a tired look as she turned to her classmate. “Gus Porter. Hello. It’s been a while since I saw you.”

Luz blinked as his polite façade slipped away, open dislike coloring his expression with lips curled at the words.

“That was wholly intentional. And it’s _Augustus_ – only friends get to call me by nicknames.”

Where was _this_ coming from? If she had learned anything of her youngest companion, it was that Gus Porter was unfailingly polite and energetic, if not the most tactful. Even Lilith seemed taken aback by the sudden reversal in his behavior, eyeing the boy cautiously as he folded his arms, turning purposefully away from the pair to face his newfound friend.

“Is everything alright here, Luz?” He scanned the stand and its caretaker with concern, his tone softening once more. “I was coming by to see if I could catch Eda with some new offers, when I saw you over at her table. You looked…” The boy directed a sideways glance at the pair of coven witches. “Preoccupied.”

“I’m fine, Gus. Really.” She waved his incredulous look away with a warm grin, settling her arms loosely on the tabletop. “We were just talking, is all. It’s the ladies’ day off – no running from the cops today, apparently.”

“That is indeed the case. For now.” Lilith seemed a bit miffed at how the two were ignoring her and her apprentice, but Luz was well out of patience for the uncouth, intimidating witch. “You should consider who you choose to associate with more carefully, Mr. Porter. No need to be dragged down by the company you keep.”

“Thanks for the advice, Miss Clawthorne.” His tone was flat and unimpressed, as he stared pointedly towards the stoic form of Amity Blight. “I’ll be certain to keep that in mind.”

The atmosphere surrounding the stand was growing increasingly tense, with the trio of witches burning angry holes through one another while Luz was sidelined by the veiled comments she understood little of, her anxiety rising once more at the verbal conflict.

“Hey, Gus – I appreciate you checking up on me.” She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, bringing his attention back around to the stand. “Why don’t you let me finish up with these two, and then we can chat for a bit until Eda comes back? I wouldn’t mind getting a better look at some of the stands around here. Maybe you can show me all the hidden gems they’ve got in the market.”

The younger spellcaster gave a slow, hesitant nod as he accepted her nudging, moving away to sit on the brickwork steps of the market centerpiece with a promise to see her shortly. His continued worried staring was rather unsubtle, especially as he fiddled with the conjured form of his scroll – likely shooting off messages to Eda, or possibly Willow, regarding the situation.

“Well ladies,” Luz gave an exaggerated clap, drawing the officers’ attention back around. “It was a pleasure speaking to you today, but there are plenty of other customers that need attending to. The Owl Lady certainly loves her profit margins – as I’m sure you’re both well aware.”

The elder Clawthorne sibling gave a quiet harrumph, arms folding lightly over her chest as she directed the mage one last searching look.

“Don’t think that I’m finished with you, _human._ ” She had to stop herself from bristling at the derogatory tone that the older witch referred to her people with, jaw clenching minutely. “I may have chosen to be lenient for today, but if I or my colleagues discover that you and Edalyn are in possession of any dangerous artifacts you’ve been waving about to imitate spellcasting, I _will_ come down on both of you.”

The severity of her expression dimmed as Lilith swiped a hand over her nose, exhaustion creeping into her voice to replace the whip-like sternness.

“In the meanwhile, I implore you… _please_ do not feed into my sister’s illegal activities. No good can come of it – for anyone involved. There is no need to throw your life away due to guilt by association.”

Luz couldn’t help being taken aback by the tonal change, but defensive anger still simmered in her gut after the witch’s dismissal of her own magical abilities.

“It’s not a matter of making a quick buck or causing trouble, Miss Lilith. I needed food and shelter – Eda was the first to offer. If it weren’t for her, I’d probably be sleeping in the woods right now. Last I heard, that wasn’t a good idea.”

The Clawthorne sister’s eyebrows shot up at that pronouncement, but she nodded slowly after a moment.

“You don’t have anywhere else to be? And Edalyn…” A deep, tiresome sadness crept into her countenance. “Yes. Yes, now that you mention it, that does sound very much like something my sibling would do.”

Before Luz could contemplate the other woman’s shifting emotions any further, the witch straightened her spine, tamping down any visible vulnerabilities as she cloaked herself in the responsibilities of her station.

“Regardless, I will warn you one last time: do try to stay out of trouble, especially with Edalyn. Otherwise, our next meeting will not be so civil.”

Without another word, the law mage spun on her heel, striding away from the Owl Lady’s stand with a carefully unhurried pace. Her apprentice, however, lingered for a moment longer, emotions warring across her face as she inspected the young planeswalker manning the stall.

“I’m not quite certain how a human made their way to the Boilings Isles,” Amity began deliberately. “Or how it seems you can perform spells like a witch. But I’m going to figure it out.” She leaned in close, the fires of competition burning in her golden eyes as her lips thinned to a grim line. “And I’ll prove who the better magic user is – no tricks or trinkets, next time.”

Luz quirked a brow at the statement, shifting back with arms folded over her sternum. Was that supposed to be threatening? She’d seen more intimidating bullies crawl out of her middle school during her time in the education system.

“I look forward to it. Now, I was being serious about serving customers…?” She trailed off flatly, directing her best unimpressed look at the witch.

The pale girl snorted in dry amusement, giving the table a considering look as she moved out of the mage’s personal space. It took a few seconds before her gaze alighted on a shining bauble buried under a pile of reclaimed goods, plucking the small broach from the tabletop.

“How much for this?” Amity spoke with disinterest, but Luz could discern the curiosity that had been peaked within the witch at her find.

She held a small golden pin, hammered into the shape of a butterfly mid-flight. The shimmering metal had been polished within an inch of its life, but the faded appearance of aged gold still clung to its silhouette. It was an attractive piece – though compared to some of the extravagant styles Luz had spotted on marketgoers that very day, the piece of human jewelry paled in comparison.

A devious thought occurred to the young planeswalker, causing a cheeky smirk to overtake her expression.

“Ah, that little thing? You can have it, free of charge.” She maintained a nonchalant air, even as the other girl gave her a look of wary surprise.

“Really? Just like that, after this whole – thing?” She gestured vaguely to the retreating form of her mentor in the crowd.

“Of course.” Luz’s Cheshire grin widened further, memories of mischievous friends wreaking havoc in a city faraway coming to mind. “I always give cute girls a nice discount when I’m in charge of the stand.”

It delighted the mage to no end when a blush spilled across the pale witch’s face, her lips puckering in offense at the statement while she stuttered in response.

“Uh – wha – no - _excuse_ me!?”

She had to stifle her giggles behind a palm at the coven witch’s increasingly reddening complexion, waving her down with a snort before the other girl decided to begin a street-side brawl.

“Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t resist. Just consider it my thanks for not being as – _intense_ as your boss.” Luz’s mirth faded as she eyed the path Lilith Clawthorne had taken, indignation bubbling up once more at the sting of her contentious attitude.

Amity Blight huffed haughtily through her nose, still looking for all the world like a ripe tomato, as she stiffly nodded to the amateur merchant.

“Well – thank you. I suppose.” An awkward moment of silence passed. “I’m going now.”

Much like her mentor, the witch stalked away without any further conversation, leaving Luz to give another good-natured chuckle at her flustered expression while Amity all but fled the scene, trailing after Miss Clawthorne in a hurry.

Gus returned to the stand once the pair were out of sight, an eyebrow cocked in confusion at the scene as the planeswalker’s laughing finally died down, leaving her winded.

“Wow. What did you say that made her go running like that? I’ve never known Amity Blight to back down from anything. Or anyone.”

Luz sighed happily as she swiped a hand through her hair, leaning her elbows on the table.

“It was nothing – just some teasing. I had a feeling someone like her wouldn’t take to it so well.”

“You mean somebody stuck-up and rude, just like her coven leader?” His hostility was less shocking this time around, but it still elicited a concerned frown from the girl.

“…Yeah. Something like that.” She eyed the glowering boy, picking her words carefully. “She didn’t seem all that terrible to me, though – at least she wasn’t calling me ‘human’ like it was a curse. Did… something happen, between you two?”

Gus shook his head firmly, leaning a hip against the rickety side of the stall table.

“It’s not my place to tell, sorry. But I’m no fan of hers.” He looked skywards contemplatively, humming in thought. “Her siblings were always pretty cool, though. Edric and Emira – they were twins, in the Illusions track a few years above us. I got along with them fairly well, but I haven’t heard from them in a while.” An unconcerned shrug followed the statement.

“Huh. Well, I won’t pry.” She made a mental note to question someone when they were more willing to speak on the subject – perhaps even Amity herself, if the opportunity arose. “So, should I assume that you were sending off texts to Eda to let her know I was getting hassled by her sister at the stand?”

“Yup.” The boy popped the final letter of his response with his tongue, turning to scan the airspace above the Bonesborough market. “She said there were some deals she was wrapping up on the other side of town, but it shouldn’t take her much longer -”

Gus was interrupted by a flurry of motion as the Owl Lady swooped down into the plaza on her staff, a rippling fireball resting above an outstretched palm as she skidded to a stop in front of her stall.

“Lilith, you no-good coven lackey, stay the hell away from my kids and my stand – oh.” Her bristling orb of spellfire petered out as she beheld a distinct lack of any sign of her older sibling. “I guess you scared her off already.” Eda squinted at the surrounding stands and tents, shading her eyes. “I don’t see any out-of-control fires though… how’d you make her back off?”

“Nope, nope, no fighting. Just talking!” Luz waved the pale witch down, directing her attention to the still-standing booth for her human wares. “Apparently, she was taking the day off and didn’t want to start any fights.” She crossed her arms petulantly, muttering under her breath. “Doesn’t mean I didn’t want to knock her block off when she got all condescending just because I’m human, though.”

“Crap, she noticed that? I thought you were keeping your hood up!” The Owl Lady slapped an open palm to her forehead, exasperation clear. “There’s nothing _wrong_ with you being human, girly – you’re just a rarity around here. And not everybody’s on the level when it comes to keeping to themselves, you know?”

“…How bad is it that Lilith knows I’m not a witch?” The planeswalker asked hesitantly, somewhat dreading the response.

“Unless she goes yammering to her boss – and he cares for whatever reason – then it’s no big deal. It’s other people you gotta watch out for.” Her staffed rolled back and forth in one fist, slowly twirling the prone form of Owlbert in an arc. “There’s some wacky demons out there that’d consider humans to be a… delicacy. Folks around here aren’t scrupulous about what they eat.”

The mere thought of being hunted like prey by another sentient person made Luz’s stomach turn – but after her brief bout on Innistrad with its rampant vampire population, she had long since mastered suppressing that kind of unease.

“Okay, I’ll keep it in mind for the future and make sure to wear my hood. It’s just tough with how hot it gets during the afternoon, you know?”

Eda sighed, giving a sagging nod of her head in acknowledgement.

“I know. And it stinks to hide who you are. But it’s for your safety, get me? If the cops catch up with me, I’ll just get dragged off to the Conformatorium. The wrong person finds you, and you’re gonna become their next meal. We’ve gotta ease you in as a regular before we start flaunting your identity.”

“Right, because being imprisoned for life is _so_ fun.” Luz rolled her eyes, but relented under the Owl Lady’s stern glare. “Sorry. I’ll listen to your advice on the subject from now on. But I might need to work out cryomancy before I start dropping from the heat…”

“Another project for another day, then.” The older woman ambled over to the stand, inspecting the items that remained unsold. “So, moving on – how’d we do today with sales? Ya get anybody to stop by?”

The mage nodded, pulling the enchanted lockbox containing the Owl House’s acquired funds from beneath the counter to show her host.

“We did alright, I think – we made just over a hundred or so snails, and cleared out some of the stuff I had cleaned up for sale.” The dented tin swung open, letting Eda count her coin with a grin as she took the box from Luz.

“Alright – not bad for your first time hawking this junk, kid. Good work.” The Owl Lady looked up from her small hoard towards Gus, who had been politely waiting for their conversation to end. “Why don’t you take a break for a bit, go poke around the other stands together? You still got that cash I traded you before?”

“Yup!” Luz hoisted her bulging money satchel from her belt loop, giving it a shake to display its heft.

“Atta girl. Go relax, forget about my snooty sister for a while, maybe pick yourself up something nice on the way. I’ll be here when you kids get back.” The Owl Lady slipped into the vacated stool, her mercantile demeanor sliding into place with a sly grin as she dismissed the pair of teenagers.

“Come on, Luz.” Gus grabbed her hand, excitement lighting his features as they moved away from the Owl Lady’s stall. “You said you wanted to see the kind of stuff they’re selling around here, right? I know a pretty sweet bookstore around the corner…” His eyebrows bounced suggestively, prompting the girl to give a mild chuckle as she was pulled along.

“Sounds like a plan to me. Lead on, good buddy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may be some further corrective edits for this chapter down the road - I didn't have as much time for secondary editing as I have previously. If for any reason that requires adjusting notable details, I will leave a comment in the following chapter.
> 
> Thanks again to everybody who's read, commented, and liked!


	10. Chapter 10

“So, didja find anything interesting at the market with the Porter kid?”

The Owl Lady leaned over the spine of her ragged sofa, gazing inquisitively at the aging book in Luz’s hands as the mage alternated between scanning its contents and enjoying her evening meal. The planeswalker gave her host an excited smile, gesturing with her empty fork down towards the open pages.

“Gus and I found some history books about the Isles and the different kinds of magic witches know.” She patted the split spine of the text, a wistful expression on her face. “He said there’s a pretty good chance none of these are anything too old or in-depth, since the Emperor burned a bunch of stuff he thought was ‘dangerous.’” Her fingers dipped into exaggerated air-quotations. “But it’s still neat to read about. I don’t really know anything about the Demon Realm besides what I’ve seen here so far.”

“Well…” Eda drawled, cupping her chin with a lazy smirk. “If you wanted to read the juicy stuff, you shoulda just said so. I’ve got a load of ancient texts about the Savage Ages stored in the house, since I’m the main buyer of anything illegal around here.”

“…Do you do _anything_ involving money that isn’t likely to give your sister an aneurysm?” Luz questioned incredulously, squinting at the older woman.

“Ha! No.”

“Alrighty then.” The mage’s expression cycled rapidly between conflicting emotions, before settling on bemused exasperation. “Well, if you can dig some of them up when you get the chance, I’d appreciate it.” She looked down appreciatively at the book she held open. “I love this kinda stuff whenever I visit a new world.”

“Sounds good, kid. Just don’t let me forget.” The Owl Lady stood from her perch, returning to the kitchen island to finish washing off her own plate, polishing off the unmarked glass of fluorescent orange drink she had previously poured with a sigh.

Silence reigned in the open air of the Owl House for several minutes longer, before the questions Eda had stirred with her curiosity bubbled to the surface of Luz’s mind as she read. Hopefully, the witch was feeling amenable to requests – and was looking for more spellwork to master.

“Hey, Eda. I’ve been thinking since our last lesson…” Her fingers drummed anxiously on the yellowed pages at her knee as she steeled herself for asking a favor. “Since you can connect to the island and ocean for blue magic now, you should be good to play around with whatever kinds of spells you can cook up. But – that’s only one color of mana.” She paused, awaiting her host’s response.

The Owl Lady looked up from the soap-laden sink, brows raising with growing interest at her guest’s statement.

“What’re you thinking, kiddo? Wanna see if you can hook me up with some of the other kinds of magic out there?” She could feel the hunger for knowledge in the witch’s voice – a blue mage, through and through. But Luz could tell that formidable intelligence wasn’t the only thing that defined Edalyn Clawthorne, or her magical ability.

“I was considering…” She started with deliberate care. “That it might be worth a trip up the Titan’s leg, back to where I first planeswalked. I know there’s some mountains up there on the bones, and I’d like to get in touch with the red mana here on the Boiling Isles. It’s one of my primary sources of magic, and it’ll make things easier for me if I can connect with the local spots. I was thinking that you might be interested in going with me.”

“One day at the stand, and you’re looking for a break from dealing with the people in town, huh?” Eda gave her a teasing smirk as she finished toweling off her used dishes, dulling the edge of her comment.

She responded to the jab with her own good-natured chuckle, putting her book aside so that she could meet the witch at her countertop.

“Hey, your sister really wasn’t _that_ bad.” The Owl Lady shifted over so that the girl could reach the faucet, a stream of steaming water leaving in a spurt as she squeezed dish soap onto her empty plate. “I just don’t appreciate her acting all stuck-up because she assumes, I can’t do any spells… and that I’m a criminal.”

Eda gave a derisive scoff at the words, shaking her head in disagreement.

“Lily loves lording her superiority over other people. That’s how you can tell you’ve pissed her off – the mean little snipes about your problems come right on out when she’s all huffy.”

Luz slowed her vigorous scrubbing of the used kitchenware, cautiously considering her response to the bitter comment.

“Have things always been this – negative between you guys?” Her eyes darted to the older woman, an awkward pause breaking her question before she soldiered onwards. “She wasn’t being _nice_ about it, but… Lilith didn’t seem very happy talking about arresting anyone for the less-than-legal stuff you get up to.”

Eda gave another resigned shake of her head, her silvery mane flowing back and forth as she leaned against the island counter, arms folded defensively.

“We used to be fine as kids, but – things change.” The look on her face was distant and melancholic, gaze set on nothing as she pondered her relationship with her sister. “People change. They grow apart. Make mistakes. Sometimes – things happen that you can’t control, and it hurts.” Her grave, golden eyes bored into the mage’s features. “I know you’ve experienced it, too.”

The planeswalker tensed, giving a hesitant nod of confirmation as her thoughts centered on the disastrous enchantment several nights before that had unearthed long-dormant regrets.

The silence returned in full force as Luz finished wiping her scuffed ceramic plate clean, the comfortable camaraderie dampened by unpleasant considerations. It wasn’t long before Eda gave an explosive sigh, clapping one hand to her guest’s shoulder and making her startle slightly.

“Sorry to get all serious there, kid. My sister tends to bring out the best and worst of me.” Her hand dropped from Luz’s arm as the Owl Lady gazed contemplatively towards the rafters above. “Getting back on topic – I’m definitely game for getting to learn new types of spells and the like.” Her head tilted with avian curiosity as she regarded the mage, regretful countenance dropping in lieu of more interesting conversation. “How long d’you think a trip like that would be - just an afternoon? A whole week, to go roll around in the dirt and connect with nature…?”

She snorted in amusement, tapping her chin consideringly as she reflected on their prior magical lessons.

“I’d think maybe a few days up on the mountain, definitely no more than a week. Now that you have some experience with reaching out to natural mana, it should be a bit easier for you to pick up another color of magic, so long as it’s something in-character for you.” She directed a small, sly grin at her host. “Would you say you’re pretty passionate about the things you do?”

The Owl Lady barked out an exaggerated guffaw, planting hands at her hips as she threw her head back in mirth.

“Ha. As if you even need to ask!” She threw her arms wide, an ethereal wind swirling through the kitchen and ruffling her expansive silver locks beneath her effortless show of power. “I’m Eda the Owl Lady, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles – I do _everything_ with feeling and flair. Puts on a good show for the people, you know?” The older woman directed a pair of finger-guns at the giggling young planeswalker, completing the ridiculous gesture with sound effects. “If that’s all I need to sling fire like you, I’ve got this in the _bag_.”

“Alright, alright, you’ve convinced me.” Luz waved the excitable woman down from her high horse, laughter slowing to a few warm chuckles as she reigned in her amusement. “I’m sure it’ll go great. When would you want to start heading out, then? Do we have enough cash saved up to take a vacation like that?”

“Well, your little stint at the stand definitely helped with that.” A lazy sweep of the witch’s hand summoned her savings box from another room, one long claw popping open the olive drab tin as the Owl Lady counted her coin once again. “We may go through a good amount of this in a week feeding three or four people, but it’s not gonna break the bank to take a quick little trip like you’re suggesting.”

She snapped the container closed once more, telekinetically dismissing the lockbox with another easy gesture as it soared through the living room, and back upstairs.

“’Sides, I’ll just ask Willow real nice if she can watch the boys while we’re away. I’m sure her and Gus would be good to hang out around here and make sure King doesn’t do something dumb, like get Hooty to warm up the house by setting himself on fire, or whatever.”

The older woman wrapped one slender arm around Luz’s shoulders, giving her an eager shake.

“It’ll be a trip for the girls – just you and me! We’ll make a good time of it.”

The planeswalker gave her a luminous smile, feeling her own hopes rise at the thought.

“Sounds like a plan to me. When do you want to get moving tomorrow morning?”

* * *

“So, Luz.” The Owl Lady picked her way up the rocky mountain path, leading the charge into the wilderness with her knowledge of the local terrain. “You know how I was getting pretty hyped for this whole shebang?”

“Of course. What’s the matter?”

“Yeah, I’m starting to rethink this part.” Eda shook a handful of clinging gravel from the underside of her boot, giving the offending soil a flat look. “When you said ‘let’s go up the Titan’s Knee,’ I figured you meant on Owlbert - my staff? Like normal people.”

“…Well, maybe we can go back down with him.” Luz conceded, nodding at the sentiment. “But – come on!”

She split from the rough pathway, darting off to the seaside cliff climbing diagonally into the sky, the grand vista of the Boiling Seas stretching out below as the foliage split along the edges of the gigantic skeletal thighbone.

“Just look at this _view_! It’s gorgeous out here, in the woods.” She took a deep, deliberate breath, the fresh scents of a living, growing forest filtering through the air. “You’d really wanna skip all of this and take the easy way up? Not even stop to see all of these amazing sights?”

“Yes.” The witch deadpanned, adjusting the sling that held her bulging satchel and staff over one shoulder as she waited for her stationary charge to resume moving.

“Pfft! Where’s your sense of adventure?” She shook her head, a teasingly sardonic tone leaking into her words. “My mentors always taught me that a healthy body makes for a healthy mind!”

“I think I’d rather go bare-knuckles against the entire Emperor’s Coven than spend a whole day sweating my skinny white rear off, walking up the _largest mountain_ on the Isles.” She blew a gust of air from her nostrils, expression set in a stubborn grimace as she examined their surroundings wearily. “You know there’s a difference between connecting with nature – which I enjoy – and torturing yourself with plants and dirt, right?”

The planeswalker shifted over to her tiring guide, giving the woman a comforting pat on the shoulder alongside an apologetic smile.

“Hey, I get it. Hiking’s not for everybody. If the going gets tougher from here, we’ll just hop on Owlbert and ride right up, okay?”

“Sounds good to me.” Eda shook her head despondently, her expression softening. “Sorry for griping, kid. I know you were excited ‘bout coming up this way.”

“It’s fine!” Luz waved the older woman’s concerns away, turning back to the trail. “Not like anybody’s going to be having much fun if somebody falls on their face during the walk, right? Like I said – we have to take a break, or just fly on up, we’ll do it. But for now, let’s see how much further we can get.”

Eda acquiesced the point with a grunt, and the pair continued their trek to the mountains of the Knee.

The ancient depths of the undisturbed woodland encompassing their chosen hiking trail swelled with the deep, entangled growth of a land left untouched by destructive hands. The trunks of trees swirled and thickened with gnarled expansions, their branches reaching heartily for the light far above the forest canopy. Thick brush sprouted along the clearing of the witch-made path, a dense undergrowth swelling and dipping like an organic carpet around grasping roots of life older than the first settlements of the Boiling Isles.

Green mana suffused everything in sight of the planeswalker, its creeping tides flowing like lifeblood through each and every plant occupying the timberlands. It reminded her heavily of the arcane woods she had once traipsed through on the distant world of Eldraine, the eldritch manipulation of freely flowing magic leaving the land bursting with colorful and varied flora and fauna. Where that plane was picturesque and carefully cultivated by the demands of higher fae powers, however, the Isles were primeval and untamed. It fittingly brought to mind the sense of a slumbering beast, the seedbed of the Titan’s fallen form giving the life thriving amongst its remains a feeling of unknowable divinity.

Light punched sparsely through the thick green growth along the mountain path, dainty sunbeams illuminating patches of rocky soil and verdant forest life as the two women hiked their way towards the peak of the Knee. They had made good time – leaving the Owl House at an early hour, the sun barely up, and with Hooty having strict instructions to allow Willow and Gus access to the home once they arrived later in the day. By Luz’s reckoning, they were rapidly approaching their destination, with the sun only now reaching its zenith as the mages found their way to the mountain range proper.

As the pair climbed higher, steep paths of crushed rock and dense forest gave way for level, craggy plateaus, offering gentle hillside slopes along with the occasional clearing of greenery - exposing the edges of the expansive forest and growing peaks to reach up through the woodlands. Every so often, Luz would call for a rest, letting the two catch their breath and take swigs from the enchanted waterskins Eda had been kind enough to provide. Were she on Earth, the planeswalker would have made do with stainless steel bottles – but the potent magic of the Isles suffused the soft leather pouches, leaving them unnaturally chilled against the sweltering heat flooding the woods.

It was high noon by the time Luz relented in her decision to forge ahead on foot, allowing a relieved Owl Lady to take them the remainder of the ascending trip on Owlbert’s sturdy frame as they witnessed the full scope of the mountains sprouting above the Titan’s Knee. The planeswalker sheepishly admitted that perhaps she had not truly grasped the scale of the island’s arches, but Eda was too pleased at easing the burden of their journey to do more than lightly rib her for the naïve assumption. Instead, the pair donned the thick winter jackets that Eda had packed, knowing for as hot as it was at the journey’s midpoint that the cap of the mountain range would be frozen over at their final altitude.

The sweet mountain air was thin and crisp, the temperature pleasantly cool in spite of the season as the spellcasters soared over the thinning woods, and into the tundra-esque region surrounding the foot of monstrous peaks. Spikes and swirls of red mana fluttered through the sky erratically, the energetic bursts of transparent magic dipping around Owlbert’s staff as they descended into a clearing marred by a smattering of clean snow.

Forested magics were steady and plodding, creeping waves of aether suffusing their environment. But mountains attracted the worldly power of passion – jagged ridgelines scraping the sky, challenging every being treading their paths to survive or fall by their own merit.

There was something truly invigorating in being apart of something so wild and ferociously grand.

Upon their landing, Eda set upon removing the scattered banks of snow coating the hard soil, using circling swipes of her staff in conjunction with bursts of mental force to scrape out a patch of exposed ground to make camp upon. In the meanwhile, the planeswalker began assembling the resources they would need for a more comfortable stay – hunting down the driest fallen wood possible, dragging the flaking logs into the snowless opening even as she focused on developing her connection with the land.

Red mana lashed out and around the pair, naturally chafing against her reach – but Luz was no mere novice when it came to harnessing the ferocious elements. She let her determination flare up from within, leaning into the aggravated swells of crimson magic as they tried to wrest themselves free, drawing on her forged connections to distant lands so as to bolster the spell she sought. It took a good few moments before she could summon up the magic beneath her palms, threatening to burst from her grasp as she enclosed the magic in pure intent. Gently, so gently, she released her retained breath – and an enchantment fluttered from her open hands, settling about the pile of logs she’d gathered as a warm, arid blanket. Given a short while, the spell would ring the moisture from the wood – perfect for use in a campfire.

Spotting the Owl Lady hard at work wrestling the cloth tent she had conjured for shelter during their trip, Luz instead wandered around the prepared zone, drawing on her sources of both green and red mana as she tamped down the frozen soil. Light stomps shot soft bursts of power into the ground that ripped through the permeating frost. It would be much more comfortable for their practice – and slumber – if the topsoil were not so unyielding.

It was as she was crushing the dirt down into a crude fire pit that Eda came to inspect her work, eyeing her efforts appreciatively as Luz finished crafting a soft depression for the campfire.

“Nice job setting up the camp, kid.” Her brow raised in consideration. “Gonna guess that your foreign buddies were the ones that taught you how to rough it in the woods, huh?”

“Yup! The Kor were pretty mobile in the jungle. Same with the Gruul clans – even if they liked hanging out in old ruins. I spent a lot of time sleeping outside when I was staying with them.” She dusted her hands off on the borrowed jacket, making to move towards the treeline. “Lemme just get a latrine going, and -”

“ _Hold_ your horses, girly.” A clawed hand shot out, snagging her thick hood and arresting her momentum. “I’m all for the camping experience, but seriously. We’ve got _magic_ to burn.”

The Owl Lady brought both hands around in an arc, ripping a glowing circle into the brisk air with open palms. The sparking ring shot forward, expanding and solidifying into an aged wooden door, propped upright in its frame as it settled firmly against the soil bordering the treeline. In demonstration, the witch stepped forward, pulling the knob open with a turn to reveal –

“Is that the bathroom back at the house?” And – just as importantly – how did she manage a spell like that? Creating a stable long-distance portal was no mean feat by any standard. Luz couldn’t help the tick of excitement at the casual display of such useful spellcasting.

“Yup.” Eda gave the mage a firm look. “No faffing around in the woods. You want a shower or whatever? Just go through here. And if Hooty sticks his head in the window, feel free to give him a whack. He should know better than that.”

“…Huh. Well, alright. I think I can live with _some_ creature comforts.”

“That’s the spirit.” The older woman shut the door with a firm shove. “Now, let’s get the boring set-up work done so we can move onto the fun stuff: blowing things up with magic!” She emphasized her statement with a clap, a voracious grin on her face.

While the light of the midday sun helped maintain the comfortable climate around the growing campsite, it would not be able to guarantee warmth in a few hours. Instead, Luz set about gathering the rage of the mountains into her breast once more as she kneeled in the softened clay. She felt the same rigid determination fill her as she once again fell into the wild flow of the local mana, warping it to fit her needs with a thought. When the spell expanded in a shimmering, transparent dome from her seated position, she stood, gathering the film of glossy enchantment to her as she traveled the edge of the camp. Her spell thinned as she moved from its core, anchoring its boundaries in a wide arc about the camp proper and leaving a pleasant blanket of heat behind. The spell wouldn’t last more than a few days, but that was all she truly anticipated for their stay.

The squirming tendrils of untamed red mana slid from her mental grasp, but it didn’t bother Luz. It would be easier to finalize her connection once she and Eda began further training – even in such notable abundance, red magic very much sought to escape, or be applied physically.

The pair took a short break for lunch, a handful of fruit and sandwiches preserved in Eda’s satchel by the same refrigeration sorceries that were woven into their waterskins. The witch questioned her eagerly about the enchantment she had woven into her campsite that kept the air enjoyably warm, leaving Luz to explain how she had been taught the spell by Gruul shamans to help balance any ill climates that their packmates had selected for resting in. Even summer nights would grow chilled, and keeping frostbite at bay for your warriors was imperative in the wilderness.

“So…” The Owl Lady drawled lazily. “What were you thinkin’ for getting me in touch with the Knee? I don’t know how much more meditation I can take before I start yanking my hair out, so I’ll gladly do some alternatives.”

“Well, red magic is all about power – and _passion_. Like I’ve said before.” The girl pushed herself upright, offering a hand to the witch and pulling her up from the ground. “I’ve always found that I connect best with it when I’m up and moving, especially if I can focus on something I’m feeling really strongly.”

Her hand cupped her chin in thought, squinting at the older woman contemplatively.

“Why don’t…” She started slowly. “We set up some targets, and go to town on them. I’ll show you what I know how to do, and you can start working on reaching out for the mana. Maybe try – swapping between attacks?” Her hand teetered back and forth uncertainly. “Make a fireball the way you know, and then focus being angry or determined about doing the same thing, but without a spell circle.”

They put their theory to the test, with the addition of Eda summoning some of the junk scattered about her property as appropriate test dummies, away from the flammable tree line.

“The red magic I know is pretty straightforward -” Luz began her lecture, captivating the Owl Lady’s attention. “Throwing fireballs and lightning, or pumping a bunch of mana right into my body to make me faster and stronger. Besides that, it’s mostly utility stuff, like my enchantments from earlier.”

To demonstrate her statement, the planeswalker angled her body towards the line of scrap targets, lunging forward with a clawed gesture as she called upon the ferocity of arcing skyborne power. A jagged bolt of lightning erupted from her palm as the thrumming flow of the wilds filled her mind, scorching the assembled dummy with a notable bang when the attack connected. She didn’t interrupt the stream of energy swelling within, stepping forward to punch her other fist out in front of her – and the buzzing sliver of power streaked outwards as a blistering fireball, blasting apart a second pile of refuse.

She could feel her control over the peaks of the Titan’s Knee sliding into place, the bursts of raw might aligning with her body and soul as she called upon the mountains to rain destruction.

“There’s so many ways to do that stuff, I can’t keep track of it all." Luz admitted, sharing an enthusiastic grin with her partner. “But let’s get you making sparks before we try anything like a lightning storm.”

The Owl Lady set to her task with an admirable determination, her face scrunched up in concentration as she unleashed waves of uncontrolled attacks upon her dummies. Her young mentor continued stretching her newfound connection to the local mountains to its limit, but Luz couldn’t help sneaking peaks at the pale witch as she tackled her task with ferocity.

She hadn’t fully comprehended the depths of Eda’s power, before, with no outlet for her own brand of destructive spells to be unleashed. However, in the expanse of the timberlands – far from prying eyes or vulnerable bystanders – the older woman’s grasp of ruinous magic was clear. Bolts of hardlight tore through rotting wood; wheeling spikes of fire and telekinetic force smashed rusting scrap apart; jagged tongues of erupting rock blew through hastily reassembled targets. Luz could see her focus and frustration growing in turns, the empty gestures of her off-hand making Eda bristle as she struggled to meet the anger of the wilds with her own.

If the mage were honest with herself, it was both awe-inspiring and a little frightening just how outclassed she felt before her own student, even as she watched her take the first steps to understanding red magic.

If there was one thing that she had learned at the foot of her instructors, however, it was that strength could come in many forms – and a planeswalker was nothing without her allies. She ran through a few more a few more assaults on the dummies of her own, stepping up the complexity and power with each swipe of her hand: delayed blasts, splitting twinbolts, a localized firestorm to engulf the targets. The steady pulse of red mana through her limbs was indescribably exhilarating – even as Luz wore down her stamina with the intense exercise, she felt progressively more in tune with the mountainous slopes, more alive with every spell.

Finally, with her connection solidified to the local terrain, she paused in the barrage – only to funnel the magic into a familiar siren’s call to cast into the Blind Eternities. She had some friends to check up on, after all.

Reality tore asunder for a split second as Luz reached out with her soul, brushing up against the approach of a wild, alien mind that gleefully enwrapped her in warmth. A moment later, the sky burst over her and Eda’s heads in a wave of fire – and the air rang with the cry of a reborn phoenix.

The crackling firebird dropped from the airways above, startling the Owl Witch and leaving her frozen as the sizable elemental winged down to meet its summoner with another joyful screech.

“Odin!” Luz caught the descending phoenix on one outstretched arm, the natural flares of the spirit’s fire dimming down into a harmless, comforting blaze. “I’ve missed you, bud. How are things with the Gruul back home?”

The bird of prey gave a chittering caw as his companion ran bent fingers through the burning plumage of his throat, satisfaction evident in its friendly excitement. The Owl Lady, meanwhile, gave a low whistle at the sight.

“Damn, Luz. Didn’t realize you were so good with those ‘elemental’ types you mentioned, besides Big Green the other day.” She circled the cheery pair, inspecting the avian with fascination. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen a phoenix like this, either. Normally they’re a bit less like a giant, angry bonfire all the time.” Eda paused, looking slightly concerned. “That _is_ normal, right?”

“For a Skarrgan firebird like Odin? You betcha.” She turned to look at the intrigued witch, allowing the sizable eagle to shift his weight closer to her shoulder for ease of carrying. “He’s pretty young, by their standards – I don’t think he’s even molted yet. Give it enough time, he’ll be the size of the Owl House before he goes up in flames and becomes a cute little chick again.”

The burning avian preened at the attention, snuggling up against his longtime friend with another low call.

“Huh.” The Owl Lady continued eyeing the handsome bird, crossing her arms as she thought. “You might have to show me how to start summoning critters soon – I’d love to pull something like that out of my hat on a whim.”

“It’s definitely a useful skill.” Luz agreed, bobbing her head. “But first -”

“I gotta connect with the mountains, blah blah blah.” The witch waved her reminded off with a single hand. “I’m well aware, kiddo. And on that note – let’s get back to it.”

Their attempts at having the older witch harness the red mana in the skies continued valiantly on until the approach of dusk, with the eager Odin aiding Luz in spicing up her attacks with vicious divebombs and flashing bursts of fire. Sadly – just as before – Eda was unsuccessful in achieving the rapid connection to the Isles that she sought, leaving the pair exhausted and ready for a rest as night crept over the horizon. They concluded the training for the day by having the pale witch flash-melt the remaining snow with a burst of spellfire, leaving Luz to seize control of the heated liquid and douse the burning remnants of their targets with a wave of water.

* * *

That night, the pair of spellcasters each took a spot on the sturdy log they had scavenged from the woods, sitting side by side as their respective familiars perched alongside them. Owlbert cuddled into Eda’s collar with ease due to his size, while Odin nestled in his companion’s lap, the ethereal flames composing his being barely tickling her exposed hands as she stroked the length of his spine.

The merry sizzling of vegetables and some form of bacon left Luz with a watering mouth, and neither of them wasted time digging into the cooked provisions once they were cool enough to safely consume.

“Where’d you find a big ol’ phoenix like him, anyway?” The Owl Lady broke the comfortable silence as they polished off the remainder of their meals. “You mentioned something about those ‘Gruul’ people earlier?”

Luz gave an affirmative nod at the question.

“One of the places the clans on Ravnica like to meet up at is Skarrg – it’s a giant, underground wreck of a palace that’s a few millennia old.” The mage explained, resuming her petting of the content firebird in her lap. “Last time the better part of the guild met up there, Domri and I went along for the ride. He suggested I make some friends to help me out in battles for the future, so… I found some of the newly hatched phoenixes.” She gave a bashful smile at the memory. “I can say with certainty, that momma firebirds do _not_ like strangers in the nest. Thankfully, Odin here took to me pretty quick after he left the nest, and spent some time with me and Domri’s clan up on the surface.”

“Ha! I bet your pals weren’t expecting you to almost get torched trying to butter up some angry fire pigeons.” Eda shook her head in mirthful disbelief, leaning back a bit from the fire as she reminisced. “I pulled something similar back in the day. Pissed my parents and sister off pretty bad when I caught a huge, angry owl out in the woods and let it go in the house.” She grinned brightly at the thought. “Even as a kid, I knew how to stick to a theme.”

They spent some time making pleasant small-talk, stories of fun times as children and teens passing with ease as the stars winked into existence above them. Luz was enamored by tales of a magical education system, rife with danger and powerful spells freely foisted on young witches, while Eda was intrigued by her stories of faraway worlds and their alien landscapes. By her reckoning, information about a bunch of kids learning low-level magic didn’t mean much, even if her retelling was interspersed with amusing anecdotes of both herself and Lilith as children. Instead, the Owl Lady was enraptured by the descriptions of other planes, how varied they could be – and her young companion had traveled a fair few of them. The enormous artificial mage-rings of Vryn, acting as mana conduits; the titanic watery foliage of Pyrulea, with the inverted sky and sun forming a Dyson Sphere above its occupants; even the idea of a world such as Shandalar – simple in form, but loosed from its moorings in the multiverse and drifting through time and space – came across as priceless information to the Isles-bound witch.

Eventually, there was a break in the conversation, leaving Luz free to ponder the canvas of shining stars dotting the spread of night. It still amazed her, even after several weeks, just how brilliant the constellations above could illuminate the Boiling Isles in the evening.

The Owl Lady seemed to track her train of thought, giving her own skywards glance.

“Does it look like this, on other worlds? You seem to really enjoy stargazing when you get the chance.” Her question was innocent and considering, as the woman pondered on the details of distant planes she had been gifted that night.

“It depends. Certain places have really beautiful skies, others it’s hard to see anything from where civilization is.” A pause, as old memories rose to the fore. “Earth – the ‘Human Realm’ – had that problem. There was so much light pollution, only really rural areas ever got to see the stars like this.” Luz shook her head, a twinge of disappointment in her voice. “My town back in California was too close to the big cities. I didn’t really get to do any of this before I… yeah.”

Eda didn’t respond immediately, and the planeswalker braced herself for what she knew was coming next.

“Sounds like it wasn’t always the best, back home.” A deliberate pause from the older woman, before she pushed forward, carefully nonchalant. “Is that why you ended up leaving?”

The conversation petered out momentarily as Luz drew in a deep breath, releasing the air from her lungs in a lengthy, whispering sigh. The night air remained unbroken for several long moments.

“When I was younger, my _mami_ and I – we got into a fight.”

 _“Luz, mi amor, look at me.” Her mother’s eyes were intense, grave. “You can’t keep doing this. You have to show some restraint. You have to_ think. _”_

“It wasn’t the first time. But it was the last.”

 _“You can’t possibly tell me that you thought bringing maldita sea_ fireworks _into school was a good idea.” There was anger in her voice, now. “Not after everything else they’ve called you into the office for.”_

“I love my mom, but sometimes it just felt like – she didn’t really get me. Like she didn’t really try.”

 _“What if they thought it was a_ bomb _, Luz Noceda? What if they called the policia on you?” She was growing hysterical._

“I couldn’t deal with the fights, and the screaming, and the angry teachers anymore. So I – I left.”

 _“What if they_ take you away _from me, mija!?”_

“Planeswalkers only get their sparks when they’re... hurting. Really badly. I guess that’s what did it for me.”

_“I won’t always be there to protect you.”_

“I didn’t really know what was happening at first. I just – showed up, on Zendikar. After a while I got lucky, and found my Kor tribe.”

_“I love you, mija. You know that. Don’t you?”_

“Beyond that – well, the rest is history. I guess.”

There was a painful, uninterrupted stillness for several minutes. Odin could sense the distress through their bond, feel the tears threatening to slip through her defenses, leaving the spirit to give a mournful call as he pressed his feathered skull against Luz’s chin in comfort. She held her burning companion close, eyes tightly shut – until a warm, pale arm tugged them close, wrapped around her shoulders.

“Gah. Seems like all I do is make you wanna cry, kid. Sorry about that.” Luz leaned into the embrace, giving a watery chuckle at the comment. “Thanks for opening up, though. Means a lot that you trust me enough to tell me about all of the namby-pamby ‘feelings’ stuff.”

In that moment, the planeswalker felt a surge of gratitude that fate had seen fit to let her reach the Boiling Isles. She hadn’t had this many hugs in years. Luz had missed genuinely compassionate friends – eking out life amongst the barbarians of Ravnica simply wasn’t the same.

“Just want to let you know -” Eda’s scratchy voice tickled her ear. “That you’ve got a place at the Owl House with me and the boys. I’m not planning on giving anybody the boot, anytime soon. Ya got me?” The witch poked her in the shoulder, a lightly teasing lilt to her words.

“Yeah. I understand.” The ember of content warmth in her chest made Luz wish that the night would never end. “I still – I do want to learn about your Earth stuff, though. I can’t… avoid problems with home forever. There’s a lot more than I’d like.”

Like _how_ she was supposed to get home.

The Owl Lady hummed knowingly, nodding in an absent manner.

“Not only that, but we still have our deal on the table. So – I’ll tell you what. You’ve done good by me with these magic lessons, so when we get back to the house, we can start going over some of the crap I know, and the sources I’ve got. There’s a few ways all that human crud shows up for me to use. Sound good?”

“Mhm.”

Not much else was said, after that – not until yawns forced their way to the surface for the women, breaking the peaceful lull in the night.

Luz was ushered off to shower first, stepping into the disembodied washroom of the distant Owl House to clean up for the evening. She took care of business quickly, swapping off for Eda’s turn while she resumed her seat with Odin and Owlbert at the crackling campfire.

The Owl Lady was quick to retire for the night upon her return to the campsite, drawing a promise from the young mage to try and get some sleep shortly so that they could be well-rested for the following day of training. Luz gave her an absent-minded affirmation, watching as a bundle of dark clouds rolled over the gorgeous night sky, even as the moon ascended into the heavens.

Eda was fast asleep and lightly snoring by the time the first flakes of snow fell from the sky, easily melted by the aura of permeating warmth that Luz had enchanted into being around the site. It was otherworldly, sitting in a bubble devoid of the drifting precipitation that was clearly in sight.

Feeling whimsical, the planeswalker summoned a small werelight with the flick of her wrist, the meager white spell easy to achieve in the calm night as she dug her treasured sketchbook from its place in her pack. She tromped to the edge of the enchanted bubble as her avian companions dozed, extending an arm beyond the boundary to catch a fat flake of snowfall in her palm. A light flex of her will, and the pervasive heat avoided her open hand, leaving the girl to examine the crystalline droplet under the light of her spell.

The flake melted, in time, prompting Luz to snag a few more from the air. It was intriguing, how identical they were – a fragile latticework of interlocking bars and circles making up the center of each bit. She sat on a stray log by the edge of her spellwork, idly doodling the pattern of the snow, retrieving a new muse each time the prior piece disintegrated until her eyelids began drooping.

She snapped the booklet full of clean scribblings shut with her hand, distantly considering returning to the pattern in the future when given the opportunity. There was beauty in drawing something so simplistic, yet complex at the same time.

Stowing her possessions safely for the night, Luz curled up within her sleeping roll alongside the unconscious Owl Lady, her eyes sliding shut with an exhausted sigh beneath the dark canvas of their tent.

There was always something needing doing – and tomorrow would see their training continue onwards.

Hopefully with greater success.

* * *

_The otherworldly dream had returned once more._

_An alien canopy sprouted between tremendous ribs, filled with the hissing of drifting fog and falling droplets of water. The vertebrae Luz walked were slick with moist growths and scuffed patches of crumbling soil._

_The ethereal quality of the realm was only amplified by its newest addition, just out of sight. She couldn’t discern the depths of the misty void enclosing the Titan’s carcass, but she could see the disturbing flicker of distant fires far below lick across swaying tree trunks and in flashes across drifting clouds of steam._

_The skull of the beast loomed over her once more as she approached, indomitable and inscrutable, the parasitic growths of new life swallowing its features. The first grand trunk to eclipse an eye socket was joined by a twin, ripping through the vacant cavity to the invisible sky._

_Boiling clouds of vapor erupted in trickles from the massive maw of the corpse, accompanied by irregular sputters of flaming, molten stone leaking between titanic fangs. The blobs of burning rock burst erratically from the skeletal grin, slapping wetly against the curvature of the spinal cord in fat gobs, spitting and hissing at Luz’s feet._

_The squeal of erupting steam was a voice. Its passage held unbound words._

_Splat._

_**“Traveler.”** A crawling whisper in a thousand tongues, overlapping and swirling like the superheated moisture that carried the message._

_Splurt._

**_“Far.”_ **

_Slap._

_“ **From.”**_

_Slurp._

**_“Home.”_ **

_The descending magma was eating through the Titan’s spine, threatening to tear its crown from its collar. Luz felt no fear though - only curiosity. She had just enough time to voice her query._

_“Who are you?”_

_There was no answer, no further recognition. Only the creaking of disintegrating bone as her footing gave way, sending her tumbling down, down, down into the void once more._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few more things to consider with this chapter. Well be seeing where some of them go in the near future.
> 
> Thanks again to everybody who's read, commented, and liked!


	11. Chapter 11

In spite of Luz’s boundless optimism – and the Owl Lady continually applying herself heartily to the task at hand – it took the witch just shy of four days to finally reach the breakthrough she had so desperately sought in wielding red mana.

Her ongoing difficulties had little to do with given effort. Each morning, the pair of women would rise shortly after the appearance of the sun, and they would stretch out their senses to the untamed world around them to bask in the rich magics of the Boiling Isles. Their days would be filled with determined brainstorming, each hour bringing new and creative efforts by which Eda might finally grasp the spells that eluded her repeatedly. The magic users tried anything they could think of – small to large, subtle to bombastic. Nothing seemed to present the final push into understanding that the witch required.

She didn’t let her progressively fouler mood affect interactions with the young planeswalker. They would release their frustrations through target practice, casual conversations, and even some light sparring. It turned out that Eda did know some basic applications of a staff for melee combat, something which Luz eagerly demonstrated her prowess with to her intrepid student. It provided a pleasant distraction from the older woman’s hardships in harnessing new magics.

Where the Owl Lady grew more aggravated each day, her young mentor found herself with an expanding sense of confidence. It was rare that she was given the opportunity to flex her magical muscles to their breaking point day after day, pressing against her personal boundaries so as to provide fruitful examples to Eda. She rose with the sun and retired with distant stars while ferocious red mana coursed through her soul, coming with greater ease each passing day. Luz found herself thoroughly enjoying their immersion into the wilds of the islands, whiling away the hours with good company in the form of her housemate, alongside their avian familiars.

For all of the pleasure she derived from their venture into the Titan’s Knee, however, she could not shake a nagging thorn of unease with their extended solitude.

Nothing untoward had occurred for them – at least not yet. But there were a number of oddities that she picked up on as time passed, scavenging the woodlands for valuable resources. The most outstanding item of note was the passing of local wildlife – one evening had seen their meal interrupted with the rumbling footsteps of a great, shaggy beast beyond the trees, which Eda explained to her in hushed tones was a local ‘slitherbeast.’ They were docile unless provoked, their diet veering away from preying upon the local witch populations in favor of other, less dangerous targets.

The niggling of discomfort didn’t disappear after the sighting. Odin seemed to sense something was amiss at times, his vigilant gaze sweeping through the brush every so often without obvious provocation. Paths in the lingering snowfall seemed disturbed by some kind of traveler, though there were no overt imprints of boots to locate. It was possibly some local citizen, or another hiker, drawn by the sounds of fierce magical training in the clearing they had occupied. Regardless, nothing had revealed itself as the culprit, and Luz allowed her heightened vigilance to slowly relax.

It was entirely possible that she was simply imagining these occurrences – especially as she had been feeling the nonexistent eyes of the Isles at her back since the return of her befuddling dream of the Titan.

There was a quality to the unconscious visions that left Luz stewing in befuddlement. Nightmares and the like would come and go as she spent her time exploring the Boiling Isles, but none had yet proven as vivid as the dreams depicting her travels along the bare spine of the fallen giant. They were uniformly otherworldly, unnerving – but the details that she encountered during each visit during her rest felt so solid, so crisp that the mage almost believed she was walking a parallel realm in the real world.

In response to the disturbance of the odd, inconsistent nighttime occurrences, Luz had resorted to diagramming her half-remembered dream journeys within the sketchbook she kept close at hand for the trip. She had taken to idly drawing current thoughts on the rough paper during resting periods in their bouts of training, alternating between grasping for the details of her Titan dream and the current surroundings. There had even been another midnight flurry of frozen precipitation on the second evening, allowing her to sharpen the sketches of the enigmatic ice crystals that she had captured in graphite before.

The planeswalker was absorbed in her methodical doodling, left hand cautiously hovering above the page so as to not smudge the developing image, when the howl of rage came from Eda across the clearing.

“Titan _damn_ this dippy, red, load of magical _garbage_!” Her staff shot clear across the hillside, Owlbert thankfully free of his perch, sending the carved pole to impale a sack of hay on the far end of the firing range they had established. The Owl Lady threw her hands skyward, gesturing emphatically at everything and nothing as she raved at the elements.

“’Feel this,’ and ‘feel that’ – the only thing I’m _feeling_ is my blood pressure shooting through the roof!” Her clawed hands flexed angrily, the witch panting under the force of her own fury as she seethed towards the uncooperative nature of red mana. “Just want to do some new magic, that’s all. But what do I _get_? A hot bunch of phooey, that’s what!”

Luz was uncertain whether she should go and giggle quietly to herself at the targetless rage she was witnessing, or try to comfort the pale woman so that she might calm down. After a moment, she decided on letting Eda work the swelling tide of anger from her system manually, silently vowing to provide some encouragement if her student grew any more wrathful. The mage turned her head back to the half-finished drawing she was currently working on of the Knee’s distant peaks – only to give a bemused squint at the sudden, poor quality of the lighting in the clearing. That didn’t seem quite right.

She looked up at the darkening sky, a trill of alarm running through her. There hadn’t been any rain or snow during the midday for the length of their trip – was a squall about to blow into the camp?

The Owl Lady failed to notice the incoming inclement weather, still growling and muttering to herself with a look of burning mania in her eye.

“Starting to think this whole ‘mana’ thing is a bunch of crud. Sure, I can make the stupid _water_ help me move crap around with just my brain, but _oh_ – the _mountains_ get to have an _opinion_ about my skills!” The witch chopped her arms up and down, as if she could cut through the air with her flailing fists if she just tried hard enough.

The approaching storm was small, but the swells of clouds were heavy with slate grey promise. Luz jumped to her feet in mounting concern, moving over to her oblivious companion with jacket in hand, a warning on the tip of her tongue.

“I’m not some two-bit witch you can just ignore, you heap of blasted rocks!” The older woman snarled, rage blinding her to anything but the distant targets that mocked her with their standing silhouettes. “If that damned school couldn’t keep me down, if my own _family_ can’t stop me -”

“Eda, there’s a storm coming up on us.” The harried planeswalker tried valiantly to distract her.

“– Then there’s no way I’m gonna fold to a gigantic -”

“ _Eda…_ ”

“- stinking -”

“Hey! I’m serious -”

“- pile of _bones_!”

The witch threw her exposed arms up and away from her, defiance in every inch of her posture, and –

_KrakTHOOM._

The swirling maelstrom above ripped open the sky with a fat bolt of electricity, its forked tongue licking down into the clearing before the spellcasters… and blasting their assembled targets apart with the fury of an uncaged storm.

The thunderous roar of the seething tempest hit them a moment later, leaving the stunned women to stumble backwards and away from the explosion as the shockwave split the air in the clearing. Only a second afterwards did the Owl Lady’s staff come tearing out of the sky, spearing into the ground where the witch had previously stood and kicking up mounds of dry dirt as it landed – smoking and stinging with crawling fingers of lightning, but blessedly intact despite the bolt that had struck its position.

The pair laid where they fell, mouths agape at the power of the destruction wrought before them. The avian familiars scattered with panicked screeches, fluttering around their prone forms in agitation following the devastating burst.

“Hey. Eda?” The planeswalker’s voice was faint with surprise, leaving her to weakly clear her throat in an effort to regain volume.

“Um. Yes, girly?” The Owl Lady sounded utterly flabbergasted.

“I, uh. Think you might’ve figured it out.”

“…Probably, yeah.”

Eda retrieved her steaming stave from where it had torn through the soil as they stood, tugging it with a grunt from its resting place before the pair moved to inspect the damage her wild spell had caused. The enchanted staff still held some charge, light cracks of frantic power rippling over its form – but the Owl Lady seemed to have reached an understanding with the feral forces of the wilderness after her breakthrough. The witch didn’t even flinch as electricity skittered over her knuckles, dispelling the creeping energy with a light tap of the staff’s butt into the blasted ground while student and mentor marveled at the evidence of their success.

The targets they had crafted were almost entirely obliterated by the blast, small scraps of cloth and wood littering the clearing in an arc that fanned from the epicenter of the destruction. The soil was scorched and blackened, any grass burned away from the intensity of the heated connection.

“Wow…” Luz broke the silence with a hushed whisper, eyes bright as she took in the changes to the clearing. “I’ve never been able to summon anything _that_ big before.”

She turned to her stunned compatriot, the beginnings of a bright grin tugging at her mouth.

“Eda, that’s – calling up actual lightning bolts is one of the more powerful red spells I know of! There’s some crazy magic that can do a lot more but… from what I remember, some of the shamans I knew said that it’s one of the best ways to get the most bang for your buck.” The younger girl paused, brow furrowing in concern after a moment. “How do you feel? Are you – getting tired? Maybe kinda woozy?”

“Nah, Luz. If anything…” The Owl Lady looked up from the smoking target range, a glimmer of feral excitement in her expression. “I feel _great_ right now. Like I could run a marathon!” She gazed down at her hands, astounded at the fresh well of energy filling her being. The woman seemed to swell with some greater comprehension, gazing around appreciatively at the woodlands and ridgelines with a newfound awareness.

Joyful determination made Eda’s spine straighten after several moments of inspection, a victorious grin overtaking her features.

“I want to do it _again_.”

They beat a rapid retreat from the firing range, bracing themselves against the approach of the spell from a safe distance at the center of camp. The second bolt of roaring lightning was no less impressive than the first, though the advanced warning of the attack kept the women from being knocked off their feet as thunder tore across the clearing once more. Luz gave a whoop of excitement, punching the air with reckless abandon as her student gave her own satisfied, cackling laugh. The younger girl raised a single open palm before her companion, prompting the witch to swiftly high-five her teacher with a forceful smack.

“I knew you had it in you, Eda!” Luz praised her preening student, bouncing on her heels as the bristling maelstrom overhead rumbled ominously. “There was no way you weren’t gonna get red magic – I’d bet you love blowing stuff up too much to do anything else.”

“Ha! You know it, girly.” The Owl Lady flexed her nimble fingers, raw power crackling within her fist as she beheld the fruit of her efforts. “Can’t let some uppity bunch of boulders get the better of ol’ Eda, after all.”

“I’d make a joke about teaching old dogs new tricks, but my _mami_ always told me it’s not a good idea to poke fun at someone holding lightning in their hands.” The planeswalker couldn’t help but tease, bumping her elbow against the pale woman’s arm as they both gave a good-natured chuckle at the ribbing, the witch raising a brow in mock-offence.

“So!” Luz clapped her hands together, causing Eda to jerk to attention. “Now that you’ve started out as big as you could, we should start working on something a little smaller. Calling up storms to cast spells is great and all, but…” Her eyes flicked to the lingering clouds above, roiling with unreleased rainfall. “It’s not easy to aim at smaller things, especially if you aren’t trying to wreck a whole city block. And you can’t really do that indoors, anyway.”

“Fair enough.” The Owl Lady conceded, her toothy smirk fading into a warm, content smile as she looked to the girl. “Why don’t you run through a few of the ways I’ve seen you toss fire around, and I’ll follow along. Sound good?”

“Yup!” Luz cracked her knuckles in preparation, pulling the tides of willful magic to the forefront of her mind with but a thought. “Let’s get to it!”

The pair continued trading lessons and blows for the remainder of the day, working steadily towards ensuring the older woman could create and maintain her own sources of fire and electricity. The almost-festive atmosphere of the trip’s onset returned in full-force for the evening, jokes and excited considerations of how to apply Eda’s newfound access to crimson mana shared easily back and forth while the owl and burning phoenix lay comfortably to the side.

Luz was all too willing to prepare their final dinner of the trip, chatting amicably with the witch as Eda sipped glowing citrus liquid in a round vial retrieved from the tent. The older woman seemed much more at ease following her earlier success, idly palming a ball of swirling flames in her open hand as she exercised her newly forged connection to the elements. The spell was snuffed with a twist of her wrist as their meal was completed, leaving the Owl Lady free to spoon steaming soup to her mouth while the pair relaxed by the merry fire.

Their conversation bled well into the deep of the night, the expansive stretch of glorious stars covered by silently gathering storm heads. The mood remained undiminished, however, and the witch promised they would be back at the Owl House before any true inclement weather would strike.

* * *

The pair departed the Titan’s Knee shortly after breakfast, riding atop Owlbert’s staff with Odin winging alongside, a stretching field of darkening clouds at their backs.

The flight down the mountain was no less scenic on the return trip than it had been during their original hike upwards, the sprawling greens and browns of the territory flying by beneath them. Luz couldn’t help her budding excitement at the familiar sight, greedily drinking in the gorgeous expanse of nature in the grey morning light while they soared through the skies.

The thunderheads in the distance had only grown following Eda’s original generation of clouds above their camp, a fierce wind whipping in their wake that buffeted the magic users from time to time. Owlbert remained steady in his path, however, and the wheeling phoenix following from behind simply rode the forceful gusts with the ease of a natural-born predator, completely at home in its fierce environment.

Their trip back to the arcane Owl House was much quicker than the prior journey on foot, and it was less than an hour passed in the skies before the cliffside come came into sight as a faraway speck. A distant silhouette was spotted on their swooping approach, the figure looking skywards with a jolt as Odin let loose a bellowing caw that echoed across the yard, his wings flaring with jets of fire as he descended alongside his longtime companion.

Willow Park met them as they landed, waving the two down with a cheery grin while Owlbert skidded a stop. The Owl Lady dismounted her hovering stave, helping her houseguest off with one hand even as she stifled a yawn in the other. Luz swung their combined packs over her jacketed back, returning the plant witch’s greeting as they made for the front door, the unencumbered staff levitating slowly behind.

“So, how’d things go, ladies?” Willow questioned, her eyes glittering with anticipation behind her thick spectacles. “I can’t help but notice that you’re coming back right after that freak storm showed up – and with a new friend. Would that have anything to do with your crazy mountain magic?”

Eda gave her a lazy smirk brimming with smugness, calling forth a palmful of fire that she tossed back and forth between her hands.

“Yeah, I s’pose you could say that.” The older woman preened, her exhaustion giving way for victorious crowing. “Turns out that when you just get angry enough, you can brew up a whole buncha clouds and starting shooting lightning out of them.” Her satisfied grin grew even further at the look of shock on her apprentice’s face.

“It took us a bit to get going, but Eda seems to jive really well with red mana.” Luz explained to her friend, shifting the satchels she carried to a more comfortable position. Her phoenix ally was all too pleased to rest his bulk atop the bundle of bags. “We spent a bit getting her to tone it down so she doesn’t blow up the whole house by accident, but other than that – it went well! Pretty fun trip, all around.”

The Owl Lady gave a lengthy sigh of contentment, working the kinks from her tense arms and shoulders as she hummed in agreement.

“Yup. It was nice getting out of the Owl House for a while to go wreck some junk in the woods.” Eda pulled out of her stretch, tapping her chin consideringly as she squinted towards the blue-haired witch. “Which reminds me, we need to get you back on track for your normal, witchy magic lessons. Things got a bit screwy with Luz showing up, but we’ll have to pencil in some tutoring later this week. ‘Specially since you covered us for this trip.”

Willow gave a flippant shrug, directing her gaze towards the asymmetrical building they were approaching.

“I don’t mind helping out around here, you know. Besides, I just brought Gus over, and we played some board games with Hooty and King – when they weren’t acting up, anyway.” She gave a grumbled report, before brightening and switching gears to look at Luz. “Oh! That reminds me – we’ve got a surprise for you!”

“A surprise? What for?” The planeswalker let out a nervous chuckle, thoughts searching for some potential cause for the occasion.

“No, no, nothing like that. Just – you’ll see.” Willow gave her a sly grin. “I’m sure the boys have figured something out to demonstrate.”

Her interest piqued at the witch’s odd statement – what kind of present would require a ‘demonstration’ from their companions?

Hooty failed to greet the trio at the porch, seeing as he was wrapped around the corner of the living room and peeking in via the kitchen window. Luz pulled the door open carefully, making certain not to slam the house demon’s body into the stucco façade as she led the way inside. The cozy living room seemed untouched as far as she could recall, with the diminutive forms of Gus Porter and the King of Demons resting atop the overstuffed sofa, Hooty leaning over their shoulders as they watched what looked to be a movie of some description on a small crystal ball.

The male witch was the first to notice her appearance, mimicking Willow’s prior greeting with an energetic wave of his own, catching his companion’s attentions.

“Hey Luz! How’d the trip up the Knee go? Run into any slitherbeasts or other nasty critters?” The mage gave a laugh at his barrage of questions, waving the younger boy down as she slid her baggage off her back and to the floor, stripping the insulating winter coat on the way. Odin fluttered from his backpack perch to rest on the rafters of the Owl House, giving a low croon of curiosity as the other members’ eyes briefly tracked him.

“Hi there, Gus. Camping went well; we got Eda hooked up to the red mana out there, so now she can toss fireballs and the like around. Also, we did actually see a slitherbeast in the woods – but it didn’t bother us.” The girl explained, hanging her shed winter layers from a coat hook by the door. “Hiya King, Hooty. Glad to see everything’s still intact around here.”

“That sounds like a pretty intense trip! You guys must be exhausted.” King piped up in a pleasant pitch. “Maybe you should sit down for a bit, take a load off? I bet you’re both ready for a nap.”

Luz froze by the entryway, slowly straightening from her bend as she considered the overtly cheerful tone of the Owl Lady’s first roommate. Her eyes darted to the house demon and witch at his side as she turned back around, taking in their continued silence and small, polite smiles as she gave her own careful grin in return.

“Sounds like a plan to me…” She began, looking around the cluttered living room for any signs of trickery. Something about the space tickled her sense of danger – what was different about the room? “Why don’t you guys scoot over, lemme sit on the couch with you? I’m feeling up for watching a movie if you are.”

The trio lackadaisically spread across the aging upholstery, giving exaggerated grunts and sighs as they engulfed any remaining space on the cushions.

“Aah, sorry about that, Luz -” Hooty spoke, his voice rising up and down in a teasing manner. “Looks like you’ll just have to take one of the recliners.”

Wait a moment – ‘ _one of_ the recliners?’ The planeswalker stepped forward, maintaining her forced smile as she laid a hand on the back of the worn chair. Eda only had a single seat like this – any other chairs had to be salvaged from the kitchen.

She gave the padded headrest a slight squeeze, feeling the normal texture of roughspun cloth – with an abnormal amount of give beneath her fingers. Aha! So they’d pulled some nonsense with the furniture, and wanted to trap her with it as a –

“Outta the way, kiddos. Mama’s about ready to knock out now that she’s not hooked up to the mountain for juice.”

The Owl Lady strode forward before Luz could utter a single warning, the mage jerking back with wide eyes as the witch made to collapse into the trapped chair…

“ _Oof._ ”

Only for Eda to spill out in a sprawl, the form of the jinxed seating popping out of existence with a blue flash as the older woman landed on her floor.

For a moment, all was still, the only sound Willow’s aborted snort of amusement as she covered her mouth with both hands. The pair of demons and their young accomplice looked ready to flee in terror – until the Owl Lady let out a single bark of a laugh, sitting up from her prone position.

“Alright, you little brats.” She started mirthfully, directing a sharp grin to her horrified guests. “I can appreciate you having the guts to pull a fast one on me like that. Fair’s fair.” She held one hand out to Gus, who was bouncing back and forth on his heels as he considered sprinting from the room. “Now help an old lady up, woudja?”

The young witch hauled her to a standing position, any sense of caution erased by his previous fright and leaving his host free to wrap both hands around his offered limb.

“Thanks, kiddo!” Eda smiled brightly, making Gus hunch his shoulders in disquiet. “Oh, did I mention that Luz here taught me how to shoot lightning?”

He only had a second for his eyes to shoot wide open before stiffening with a shriek, throwing himself across the room while he waved his stinging palm about. The pale woman let out a cackling snort as the electricity racing across her fingers dissipated with a snap, before turning an expectant grin to the petrified demons on her wilting sofa.

“Anybody else wanna try me right now?”

Hooty fled the room with a yelp, proclaiming something about house abuse being unethical while he abandoned King to dive under the couch cushions, screaming in fear. The Owl Lady gave a full-bellied laugh at the sight, swiping a tear of joy from her eye as she crossed the room to ascend the stairs, patting Luz’s shoulder on the way by.

“I wasn’t joking about being beat. Feel free to stick around tonight, kids, I can already see the sleeping bags you hauled outta the closet.” She moved past the corner of the staircase, fighting back another yawn – only to turn her head around and call back to the living room. “Wake me up if you get any lunch going! Or dinner – I might just fall into a coma for a bit, guess we’ll find out.”

“You’re gonna wreck your sleeping schedule!” The planeswalker called after the woman, receiving no obvious response to her comment.

Luz saw her friend’s eyes track the older witch as she retreated upstairs, brow furrowing in concern, so the mage decided upon lightly elbowing Willow in the side and gesturing to the Owl Lady’s departing form.

“We spent the better part of a week shooting off spells nonstop, circles or otherwise. Plus, there was a lot of walking around and hauling firewood – she’s probably just tuckered out. You know?”

“I suppose so.” The plant witch folded her arms, a contrite expression overtaking her features. “Just so long as she doesn’t get too crazy with the magic. Eda needs to learn how to take better care of herself.”

Luz gave a vague nod of agreement, Willow’s statement nagging her for a moment afterwards as she considered the context of the situation. The Owl Lady had seemed mostly unbothered by their spellcasting – so why was the other girl so concerned about her overextending her magical usage?

The consideration was shelved for the moment as Gus wandered back into view, still shaking his numbed limb in an effort to breathe some sensation back into his palm. Wincing in discomfort, the boy instead directed a shaky smile his friends, gesturing at where his illusion once sat.

“S-So, Luz, did you notice anything odd about my spell?”

She quirked an eyebrow at the question, humming thoughtfully.

“Not right off the bat, no. But…” Her eyes narrowed as she gazed towards the resting spot of the illusory chair, her mind turning over the situation as she recalled a particular detail. “I didn’t see any spell circles.” She started slowly. “Do you need to keep one going for a spell, if it doesn’t resolve right after you cast it?”

“Mhm!” Gus nodded enthusiastically, his grin growing more genuine.

The realization struck her only a moment later.

“Wait – did you do that with _mana_?”

The young witch threw his arms wide, fluttering his hands in excitement.

“Tada! I figured out some blue magic while you guys were gone!” He gushed, lowering his arms once more – only to gesture towards the couch with a twist of his wrist, causing a pair of identical pillows to shimmer into existence on the seating. “Willow and I were practicing all week, while you ladies were out – I wanted to surprise you when you got back, y’know? And I was starting to think I’d never get it, too.”

“What changed?” The planeswalker asked breathily, moving to inspect the false cushions. Her hands gently skimmed their surfaces, pressing down on the false padding and testing their consistency as her companion beamed happily at the sight.

“That storm blowing in off the sea, yesterday.” Gus elaborated, giving the shocked mage a nod at her incredulous look. “I was getting in tune with the island and the water, but it just – wasn’t sticking. It felt too… calm. Flat. But then the winds started up!” He gestured grandly in the air. “The waves got all choppy, and the trees were blowing, it just – something _clicked_. Everything came alive, and when I felt that in my magic, I finally figured out how to make my _illusions_ come to life.” The boy paused. “Am I making any sense?”

“Yup!” Luz bobbed her head in confirmation, stepping away from the spellwrought pillows. “I didn’t really consider that some of you guys might have an easier time working with something a bit more – intense, than meditation. Still, great job, Gus! I’m proud of your initiative.” Her brow wrinkled in consideration. “Maybe that’s why it keeps taking Eda a few days to get the basics down for the magic I show her…”

King peeked out from behind his chosen cover, slowly lowering the clutched pillow as he took in the lack of his roommate nearby.

“Eda’s pretty smart when it comes to figuring out new magic.” The demon commented, hopping down from the furniture to wander towards the kitchen cabinets. “I’ve seen her practicing new spells before around the house – it seems like she has a problem getting the big ones down quickly, but the little stuff?” King teetered one paw back and forth absentmindedly as he rooted about for a snack. “It kinda comes and goes. Not really sure why.”

Luz gaze a quick glance at Willow, taking in the carefully blank expression she kept even as the mage stepped past the black-furred demon to retrieve a drink from the refrigerator. She made certain to keep her suspicions off of her face, instead opting to approach the subject when Eda was actually present – and conscious.

“Anyone want anything?” She called behind her, elbow-deep in the icebox as she fished out a carton of unidentified juice. “It’ll be a bit before we hit lunch, but -”

A raucous screech cut off her words – shortly followed by Luz slamming into the fridge interior with a whoosh of breath, the settling weight of her swooping phoenix companion nestled comfortably on her bowed shoulders.

“Gah! _Odin_ , be careful!” The mage scolded her chittering companion, rolling her eyes at the display even as she retrieved a few slices of sandwich meat for the ravenous bird of prey. The firebird chirped in excitement, winging to the cleared countertop and hopping back and forth excitedly as Luz tossed a sliver of flesh into his open beak. It was swallowed in a single gulp, prompting the young girl to swat at her companion, muttering a warning about choking on his meals.

The eyes of the witches tracked their interaction with interest, gazing at the gentle waft of flames rising from the eagle’s spine and tail feathers as he munched on the presented offerings.

“You’re all about being pals with these ‘elementals,’ huh, Luz?” Gus spoke up, curiosity burning in his expression even as he took a step towards the occupied phoenix, one hand hovering hesitantly near the avian predator’s plumage. “How do you touch him without getting hurt – is the fire just an illusion, or something?”

Luz turned about, uncapping her drink of juice as she gave her friend a comforting smile, gently guiding the boy’s fingers to rest lightly against the firebird’s extended neck.

“Skarrgan firebirds are always in control of their flames.” She explained quietly, stroking the elemental’s side, opposite of Gus’ hand. “They’re fierce predators, but really smart – if you can make nice with one, you’ll have a pal for life.”

Odin cooed in agreement, the last section of meat sliding down his gullet as he nuzzled against the mage’s shoulder, before turning a keen eye to the boy running fingertips through his burning flank. The bird’s small skull drifted slowly closer, nudging itself under the offered hand and cawing lightly in delight as Gus shifted to scratch him at the base of his neck. The young witch couldn’t help the pleased chuckle that slipped from his chest.

“Huh – he’s a lot more friendly than I expected. Cute, too.”

Luz gave him a pat on the shoulder as she passed the engrossed pair, making her way back to the couch where Willow and King had retired, the blue-haired witch finally relaxing from her earlier tension and idly tapping away at a remote control as the two cycled mindlessly through whatever shows were on offer. She spotted the planeswalker’s approach, scooting over to claim the middle cushion and patting the open seat with a smile, which her friend gratefully received.

“So… I didn’t know the Boiling Isles had anything like television. And with crystal balls, too.” Luz examined the flickering image, a bout of wistfulness welling up at the familiar sight of someone channel hopping out of desperation. “Anything good on at this time of day?”

King sat up from his casual slump, munching away at an unmarked bag of crispy bits as he leaned in, growing more animated.

“There’s all sorts of stuff on offer. Romance shows, lots of documentaries – the best ones are about the glorious days of battles past!” The demon leapt to his paws, pointing dramatically skyward. “Tales of bloodshed, combat and loss, with conquering kings and queens. The best kind, of course!”

Willow forced the diminutive demon back into his seat with a snort, pressing one hand down on his exposed skullcap, patting his head comfortingly even as King gave an indignant yelp.

“Crystal-Vision has plenty more than just that. For example…” The plant witch clicked the small plastic remote a few times, swapping the display to a dramatically panning view of the Isles proper. “They’ve got a load of movies with a bunch of different genres, to cater to all the kinds of locals around here.” She turned a questioning look to her companion on the couch. “Anything you think you might be interested in, Luz?”

The planeswalker hummed contemplatively, examining the swirling picture filling the glass sphere on the table.

“Why not some nature documentaries, like King mentioned? I’d love to learn a bit more about the wildlife of the Isles – and the ones back home were always pretty fun to watch.”

After some debate between the couch’s residents – including Gus, who had returned to the main room with the flaming phoenix perched upon his shoulder – the group decided upon a documentary on carnivorous plant life native to the Boiling Isles, as King refused to watch anything without a bare minimum of potential death and destruction being involved.

They passed the hours relaxing within the Owl House, with Luz quietly grateful for the opportunity to rest after such a physically strenuous week. Owlbert and Hooty reappeared partially through the viewing, with the house demon offering his own bout of running commentary alongside the other residents as they watched horrific examples of flesh-eating blooms attack the hapless researchers on display.

Luz had never realized that a world without jungles could be home to such vicious flora, barring a few outstanding examples.

Eda came tromping downstairs sleepily at the call for lunch, and then dinner, bleary-eyed and mildly incoherent as she accepted the offerings placed before her without complaint. The planeswalker was surprised by how lethargic her host had become – apparently the influx of red mana really was helping to keep the Owl Lady standing during their practice. If that was the case, then they might need to tone down their future training exercises so that the witch wasn’t left completely out of commission after every event.

The period before and after dinner was spent practicing their respective magics, with Luz happy to offer feedback for Willow and Gus as they exercised their newfound abilities on a contained scale within the home. The bespectacled plant witch had brought some samples of various flowers and fruits from her personal garden, focusing bolstering green mana into their fragile sprouts and leaving her companions to inspect the results, oohing and awing over the colorful blooms or sneaking tastes of the ripe products on offer. Simultaneously, their resident illusionist worked on mastering the image of falsified life, casting mirages resembling the swaying stems that Willow grew and breathing animation into the spellwork.

In the meanwhile, Luz put her mind towards her prior efforts in hydromancy, lashing small streams of water to her will as she worked on wringing the heat from the liquid and crafting lengths of ice she could manage. It was slow going – any interruption to her focus had the water splashing out onto the carpet or table, and the amorphous material resisted her attempts to cast it into a defined shape with all of the strength of the wider seas. By the time they had dragged sleeping arrangements out for the evening, however, the mage found that she could simultaneously create and maintain several small, sharpened icicles that would stay cool against her touch.

It was a start.

Only as the trio of teenagers were wrapping themselves in sleeping bags late that night – hygiene concerns squared away, giggling and whispering in the dark while shooting harmless spells at one another – did it occur to Luz that this was the first sleepover she’d ever had the opportunity to experience. The thought made her pause, her braid halfway undone as a confused spike of melancholy and relief reached her heart. Something so simple had always struck her as completely unfeasible, with her poor reputation in her schools and the lack of any true childhood friends for many years.

And yet, it was smothered by the warm sensation that shot through her as she watched her two companions having a whispered war on the other end of the circle of furniture, muffled chuckles and small yelps reaching her as tiny flares of spark shot back and forth. King was curled up on the couch above their position, valiantly fighting the call for rest as his fellow guests squabbled. The phoenix and miniature wooden owl were already roosting in the rafters above, the natural flames of her avian friend dimmed to a subtle glow.

Luz smiled as she laid back down, watching her companions settle in for the night, her long brown locks freed from their bind.

It was no time at all before she drifted off into a peaceful slumber, the distant crackle of thunder tearing through clouds failing to disturb the Owl House and its occupants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit more of an interim chapter, but there are still some important developments, nonetheless. I struggle to write filler chapters because I find that kind of content to be somewhat irritating, when people are looking for new and exciting stuff - but if the pacing feels too jarring for this story at any point, please let me know.
> 
> Thanks again to everybody who's read, commented, and liked!


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